


Deeper

by Nazerine



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Blood As Lube, Blood Play, Bottom!Vegeta, Boys Kissing, Cumshot, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Rough Kissing, Rough Sex, Rutting, Self-Discovery, Switching, Telepathic Links, Telepathy, These two being complete dorks, Vegebul if you squint, What a shipwreck, soul links, top!Goku
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:33:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23090278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nazerine/pseuds/Nazerine
Summary: Vegeta experiences a strange after-effect of the Potara fusion. He isn't the only one that's feeling something is missing.
Relationships: Son Goku/Vegeta (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 275





	1. Ties to the Battlefield

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first for this fandom. One I should have made ages ago but here it is. Posting the sexy bits later so keep an eye out. ;) I have been a part of this fandom for a long time and have shipped these guys for years. Kind of wish I did it sooner. Apologies if there are any inaccuracies as it's been a hot while since I've seen the older sagas as Super has been my go to in recent history. Anyway, if you like what you see, give me a thumbs up. I tried to think of a way these two could get together without it seeming too OOC and figured this out. Vegeta is such a stubborn idiot as usual and Goku is just...being Goku. Neither want to bend to the other, and I hope to do the second part justice. Thanks for reading. :)

Things hadn’t been the same since the fusion.

The first time they did it, Vegeta was reluctant. A forced pairing of two bodies where their cells, right down to their minuscule strands of DNA would comb together to make something new - it seemed preposterous, let alone, on the border of the impossible. Goku wouldn’t force it. It was consensual, and Vegeta, disdainfully put aside his pride to help Kakarot and his newfound home and went in head first, not knowing what to fully expect or what awaited them.

He expected pain, and there it was; like a shining beacon piercing the veil of the atmosphere. So did that same light strip him bare. The feeling of having his whole being collapse inward like a black star and lace back together again, except when he mended it was Kakarot’s essence that filled him in, invading him in ways he never thought possible. Making him whole.

He didn’t expect it to be so... _intimate_. Yes, he was aware they would share a body, but to feel Kakarot around him, _in_ him... it was nothing like he had ever experienced. And not just the flesh, but the mind, the soul and their ki too. Emotions, sensations, wants and desires flickered around them like multi-coloured wildlife, and Kakarot shared in the same fire with him, moving in perfect unison as whatever they had disagreed upon as separate beings no longer seemed to matter.

Memories of Goku’s childhood and his own melded and Vegeta wasn’t sure which belonged to him and which belonged to the other. In that short, brief moment, they were one. The closest thing he could compare it to was when he had had sex with Bulma but even then, she was an earthling woman and he could never come close to going all out with her fragile, beautiful form. Being ingrained into each other's very being wasn’t the same as physically connecting, and to be one with Kakarot, a male saiyan, without any reserves to hold back, an infuriating clown of a man he once hated with every fibre of his body...it left Vegeta feeling confused and awakened to a part of himself he wasn’t aware existed until now.

When they separated, parts stripping back to fold in on themselves again, he couldn’t understand but it felt that a part of him was suddenly empty. Whatever void Kakarot had filled now felt gaping, watching as the other, taller male stood up with a twinkle of wonder in his eye and renewed vigor. No doubt, Goku had experienced the exact same thing, but unlike Vegeta, he lacked the mental processes to divulge exactly what had happened. Or so it seemed.

Time passed and the two carried on as usual. After Buu, the two continued to train, taking the time needed to reconnect with their surroundings. It had been such an otherworldly experience, and try as he might to keep on track with his personal progress, feed and do the daily tasks that were required of him as a family man, Vegeta couldn’t shake the uncanny sensation of that strange emptiness that lingered. Bulma was proud of him, and he still adored her and Trunks both, but when he laid in bed, watching the city lights sparkle outside their bedroom window while Bulma worked on her nightly projects, his mind wandered not to his wife, but to Kakarot and the sensation of their souls, flesh, minds and energy melding.  
His dreams were filled of him, that idiodic grin and the way it felt like the warm rays of sun as he smiled at him through the imagery of their shared minds. How akin they were as their flesh and blood had merged like two rivers combining, becoming a mighty rush of unstoppable nature. He remembered Kakarot’s thoughts passing like his own, like it was just natural to have another voice there, adding along to whatever he was thinking. They were open books in that moment, no secrets, nowhere to hide and while this should have disturbed the Prince to have Goku invade him in every sense, he wasn’t scared. He was actually surprised. Vegeta thought that Goku’s mind wasn’t as daft as he initially presumed, now that he could perceive and run through it uninhibited. Vegeta had control of that department when they fused - his voice dominant in their combined form, and his will the vocal steering wheel.

But Kakarot was there, too. With him, riding alongside, and he could feel the emotional depth of the man. His knowledge was there too, along with his tact and creativity. Kakarot wasn’t nearly as stupid as he believed, which made him wonder. Had Kakarot read him, too? It was the one thing Vegeta had always clamoured to keep under control, his emotions. It had been bred into him as soon as he was born, literally. A good ruler couldn’t rule through impulsive decisions and whims. Cold, stern, brash - that was how he was perceived by those who didn’t know him. Goku however had always seemed to know better. He hammered away at Vegeta’s resolve constantly, like the idiot knew the Prince would never truly hurt him, betray him. But now he had tapped into those reservoirs of knowledge, he had yet to see Kakarot act any different toward him, thinking perhaps he misread his understanding.

The times they had sparred, Goku had carried on as his usual infuriating self, loafing about outside of battle practice and filling the silence that Vegeta craved with his usual babble. No inclination that Kakarot felt different, or thought about him differently. It was in his easy-going nature, the Prince supposed. Still..it nagged him. How was it that Kakarot was able to let what they had experienced together slide so...effortlessly? Was it completely one-sided? This dwelling emptiness that felt like a swelling cavern was so difficult to ignore sometimes and it infuriated him. Knowing Goku put it there, made him feel like that. God, and seeing he was even thinking him more as ‘Goku’ lately rather than using his Saiyan name only made it worse.

Still, nothing really changed, or so he thought. The memories that he had encountered in the presence of the other’s mind had gone, washed away when the fusion had collapsed. But every now and then, just when he was on the precipice of sleep, the Prince of all Saiyans felt for the briefest of moments he could hear Goku’s familiar voice prattling on, going on about what food there was going to be for tomorrow’s breakfast, or how sometimes he missed Otherworld, or how come Vegeta always seemed to hate him, even after the fusion happened.

That line of thought caught him off guard. He always felt that Kakarot never cared, but it seemed deep down, there was some line of insecurity there. Wait. How could he hear this again!? Vegeta shot up straight, almost feeling like it was more of a dream, or a nightmare perhaps. He was once again alone in his double bed, gasping for breath. It was like Kakarot was right _here_ …

His dark eyes searched the bedroom, combing the corners, the outlines of the furniture. Nothing. He closed his eyes and tried to find Goku’s ki, a habit he found easier ever since their energies had connected and swam together. He found the bright glowing star of Goku far off in the comfort of his own home somewhere in the mountains. “Tch,” Vegeta sneered. Now he couldn’t even escape Kakarot in his dreams he thought to himself and with a stubborn sigh, he turned over, closed his eyes and willed himself back to sleep.

He suspected it to be an after-effect, a byproduct of their unusual union. Nothing else. Not until he heard Goku calling out to him one evening, just as he was drifting off. “Vegeta? You there?” It asked insufferably and Vegeta’s eyelids shot open, instantly alert. “What?” He asked aloud, looking for the orange intruder. Once again, he found the room to be empty save for Bulma’s sleeping form next to him, and pinpointed Goku’s energy resonating over the horizon somewhere. Bulma made an annoyed murmur and he shut his lips, once again hearing Goku rattle around in his brain. “Vegeta? I know you’re awake. Can you hear me?” How bizarre. “I can hear you, Kakarot. How did you get inside my head?” He demanded, his mental voice just as loud and pride-filled as his real one.

“Huh,” Kakarot sounded surprised at the reply. “This isn’t anything like the time I used telepathy.”  
Vegeta vaguely recalled the time he circulated through Kakarot’s memories and found images of him speaking to the other Z-fighters through a mind link - something he hadn’t seen Goku use once. “Then just what is this, Kakarot? Is this some sort of trick?” Vegeta found himself offended, not only because now he was made to deal with the clown in his waking hours and in his dreams but now it was beginning to affect the little quiet time he had before sleep, too.  
“I dunno,” Goku replied, and he had the distinct feeling the other Saiyan was scratching his head. “Maybe this has something to do with the fusion? It was meant to be permanent. Like our bodies were supposed to stay that way forever.”

“I know what permanent means, you idiot.” Vegeta snapped. “What I am asking is, did you do this on purpose? Because if you are, I’m going to pummel you so far into the dirt you’re going to have to claw your way back out for disturbing my peaceful rest!”

“No, I didn’t do it on purpose, Vegeta! Geez! You don’t have to get so grumpy.” Goku seemed a bit mentally stung with that comment before continuing. “I guess I’ve always felt the link there but didn’t want to make you upset. I was going to ask if you wanted to come out training.” Vegeta couldn’t help but flat line a silence, feeling a sense of quiet rage building up inside him. “At this hour? You want to go train at this hour, Kakarot?” A beat. “...I can’t sleep.” Was Goku’s response and with a huff louder than he would have liked, Vegeta turned over on the bed to face the wall. “Goodnight Kakarot,” And just like that, without meaning to, Vegeta shut off the link by simply willing it closed, hearing a whine come from the other end of the connection before it disconnected.

Vegeta thought his unusual feelings in regards to the connection they had shared behind him after that but then, Black came and once again they were urged once more to fuse for the betterment of humanity.

The second time, it took less persuasion to get Vegeta to shift the Potara onto his earlobe, and that was partly because it was for appearances sake. He would never, could never admit that a part of him was excited, longing even, to have that sensation again. To be filled with so much potency, made complete. God, it had been so long since the emptiness had been there, that hole reminding him of what it was like to share a part of your soul, your being with another being, only to have it stripped away. It might have only been a few years, but to him it felt like a lifetime ago.

And then the fusion happened, and it was even better than the first time. Vegeta couldn’t help but mentally shudder as the aching closed over as Kak- Goku filled him in, bleeding into the void that he left behind. Like finding home. There was less resistance this time, Vegeta noted. Goku easily wriggled his way into the depths of his consciousness, his golden energy burning bright and warm. What the hell was he doing? Letting Kakarot get into his senses so easily? He was so close he could almost taste him, and he could feel the other Saiyan’s energy spurring him on encouragingly. It was strange to think this was making him feel relaxed, having their natures and souls intertwine. Stranger still was that he was...happy to see this. Have this. Whatever this was. Maybe it was more than just the fusion, and rather the combined might of two powerful Saiyans coming together and merging as one.

In their culture, power ruled. It was addictive, it made them do awful things to have more of it and here at its purest form, drinking in and experiencing heights beyond his experience, Vegeta found himself free, sharing this with none other than Kakarot himself. They pushed back the corrupted Zamasu, and even though they had not won outright, Vegeta couldn’t help but find that once the second fusion was over, he was satisfied.

It didn’t last long. Once life returned to normal after fare-welling his son from the future, that strange void returned with a vengeance. It bothered him more than it should, and he let out his frustrations through any means necessary. Food wouldn't quench it, Whis would only tolerate his mannerisms and eccentricities for so long without tribute and once again Goku was acting none the wiser, like he hadn’t just experienced the most numbing, alien, intimate experience of his whole damn Saiyan life.

It was slowly driving him mad. _What the hell was wrong with him?_

Vegeta was no fool. He knew what he was experiencing had to do more than just the fusion itself, otherwise the gods themselves would have become accustomed to doing it permanently. He was thinking about it one afternoon, nursing a pink sundae while half reading the local news under the summer sun by the poolside. He was mostly watching Trunks and Goten swim and play about in a waterside sparring match when he felt Goku’s presence suddenly, intrusively invade his mind, like he’d just thrown the door wide open and strolled inside. “Whatcha doin’?” He asked, and he saw the mental imagery of Kakarot leaning over him, as if trying to read whatever it was that caught his attention in the paper.

Vegeta bristled and slammed the paper shut, feeling somehow Goku could sense or read through his eyes. What the fuck? “What the hell are you doing, Kakarot?! Get the hell out of my head!” He mentally screamed, and saw Goku back off, holding his hands up defensively in his mind eye. “Woah, relax! I just came by to check in, is all. Thought you were off doing something important.” Clearly, the news wasn’t interesting enough to hold either of the Saiyans’ attention and Vegeta knew this. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “Unlike some others, I choose to spend time with my family instead of running off to train and eat all the time.” “What others?” Goku asked and Vegeta couldn’t help but groan internally, and much to his dismay, earning a raised brow from Goku who had heard it as well. “You okay, Vegeta? You don’t sound normal.” “Yes! I’m fine!” He snapped, before taking a breath and continuing in a more level tone. “What do you want?”

He could have, should have closed the damn link. He’d done it before, he should do it again. But the feeling he was getting from Goku was more than just curiosity and yearning for a spar. There was confusion and some degree of worry there too. One he was trying to hide. One that made Vegeta suspicious.

“I was thinking, we should go out and fight somewhere. Somewhere where we can go all out!” Beamed the mental image of Goku clenching his fists in excitement in front of himself. “ We haven’t had a night-time spar in months. Unless, you _want_ to keep reading the news…” Damn him. He was using that tone, that taunting note whenever he was trying to urge Vegeta to give in because anything else meant he was lame, which he certainly wasn’t! Vegeta snarled and stood up, slamming his hands on the table as he drilled his glare into the visage in his mind. “Fine, Kakarot. Have it your way. I’ll meet you in half an hour.” And like that, he shut the link down and stared down at the sticky mess of a sundae he had crushed against the table in his anger. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and without a word, kicked off hard from the ground, soaring high into the sky and blazing through the clouds in a burning line of blue plasma. He would find Goku at whatever spot he picked. He knew he could track the idiot down.


	2. Ties to the Land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two go out to spar and a realisation dawns.

He had recognised it not by the sight at first, but by the smell. The same rough outcrops of orange rock, the pillars of mismatched hardened shapes that balanced boulders and rock-made monoliths that fingered toward the sky. The foliage had changed. Gone the dark sparse bushes and trees, replaced by gorges of deep water with overhead interlacing vines and rich undergrowth teeming with wildlife. The place had changed since the last time they came here which felt like another lifetime ago, but that smell, the slight acidic stench of sulphur along with the sandy flat undertone that even the new rains hadn’t been washed away couldn't be ignored.

This was where he and Kakarot had first fought. This was where he and Nappa had both landed for the first time on earth. The great canyons now were brimming with new life, hiding away the craters of the fight that lead to his life starting here on Earth but he hardly paid attention, too focused as he and Goku traded blows just on the border of the atmosphere. Up here, oxygen was harder to come by, but that’s what made it more exciting.  Blood gushed a steady stream down the side of his mouth as he found his lungs burning, lunging out to land a punishing blow toward Kakarot’s stomach. Goku dodged the blow with a swift twisting movement, uppercutting Vegeta's chin in retaliation. The crimson lines flew up the side of his face as he spun from the force of the blow and used the trajectory to turn and launch a purple ki blast toward his golden haired opponent, the aura of the Super Saiyans dimming the sky and darkening the clouds around them like the oncoming of a storm.

Lightning crackled like white veins beneath them as they soared above the clouds, giving chase as Goku dodged the ki blast too. It was a feign as Vegeta used the opportunity to move in the opposite direction to where Kakarot had extended his arm to deflect it, flying right into Vegeta as he slammed his knee into Goku’s face. Blood gushed from his caught lip as he caught Vegeta’s hands as the assault continued, Vegeta attempting to place the taller Saiyan in a grapple. They hadn’t gone this hard on each other in a long time. Training on Beerus’ dimensional home was one thing, being mindful, learning to be careful instead of destructive. For Vegeta it was his first real attempt at seeking inner peace, especially after learning of the uncanny need to have his soul sated with Kakarots...whatever _Kakarot_ had done to him.    
  
But out here, there was no need to be. They were too high above the earth to do any real damage to it, and with the memory of Goku’s taunting visage in his dreams and the forefront of his mind, Vegeta held no qualms in letting go and having Goku taste all of his frustration. Have all he wanted to give. Goku had worked him well. Bruises raw and fresh with gashes leaking blood. Bits of his leggings torn and armor dented in. He was pretty certain he had almost broken a rib in there, hence his lack of breath, but he didn’t care. He had returned the favor.   
  


Goku’s golden hair looked dishevelled, a black eye darkening the tanned hue of his skin. Blood leaked down from a nasty cut above his brow. That one was done on purpose, forcing Goku to rely on his one good eye. His hands were busted, covered in raw angry wounds across his knuckles and joints. Vegeta’s were just as bad as he suspected but he couldn’t tell under the reddening whites of his gloves.   
  
Vegeta pushed against the larger man, powering up to Super Saiyan 2 as Goku shoved back with everything Vegeta gave, powering up as well as their auras flared and lashed like thunderous giants. Crackling violently in sparks of blue and gold, the two pushed against the other, hands and fingers painfully locked as they grit their teeth against the pressure. Vegeta managed a smirk and barked a laugh as they both shoved with equal might, neither overcoming the other as pain coursed up his arms, through his elbows. Goku’s energy lashed him just as hard as his strength and with a strained sound, Goku began to gain leverage on the Prince, slowly shoving him back through the air which only caused Vegeta to stiffen and force still his advance, gripping harder onto Goku’s hands with a crunching sound he was certain was bone.   
  
“It’s been too long since we last did this, Kakarot,” Vegeta hissed through his bloody smirk, lips upturned almost maliciously. Goku grit his teeth silently in return, his golden hair whipping around him as their auras continued to collide and dance before his expression fell into a serious looking smile. “Yeah, you could say that it’s been too long.” How long had it been since they had fought at such low power levels and managed to draw blood from one another? Vegeta could taste the copper tang in his mouth and went to lick at the corner of his lips, finding Goku’s gaze drawn down to his tongue momentarily as he did.   
  
He’s distracted. Vegeta’s mind reeled silently at the implications as Goku’s eyes shifted back up to his own but it was too late. Using the distraction and his inner rage, Vegeta pulled instead of pushed and drew Kakarot toward himself, turning, spinning the Saiyan around and around, releasing and sending Kakarot flying at high velocity through the atmosphere. Goku made a sort of undignified sound before he caught himself mid-air and up-righted his body. Vegeta came in blazing, finding himself suddenly furious at Kakarot being distracted. By him. By his _mouth_.   
  
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” He snarled as he began to lash out in a series of punishing blows, forcing Goku to go on the defensive as he blocked and dodged what he could. Goku’s eyes were darkened by his steeped brow, but there was a certain guilt there Vegeta could read as he continued to pummel and kick. “Letting yourself get distracted by something like that! What are you? A teenager?! You’re married!”   
  
He didn’t really know why he was so angry at that. It felt like even though he was the one punching and doing the beating, he was the one that was on the defensive. Like Goku’s sudden interest in his mouth had flared something that deeply unsettled him. “I know, Vegeta! I didn’t mean to!” Goku’s tone was anger tinged with confusion, and as Vegeta kicked out toward him, he blocked the blow and moved in, getting closer so he was out of range of Vegeta’s punches and kicks. Vegeta could barely defend himself as Goku aimed for his centre mass, sending out two punches that forced the Prince to deflect with shorter movements than he would have liked before a boot kick sent him flying, tumbling backward, catching him near the groin where his knees hadn’t closed in on time. Okay, that was dirty. But Goku had done dirty tactics before, he’d seen them when he was fighting Buu, biting him like the primal Saiyan blood still called him to draw it. Vegeta tumbled through the air, the sky and earth spinning around him, catching himself just as Goku came in from above in a flash of movement and surprising him in a Kamehameha at close range.   
  
He could feel and smell his flesh burning as the force hit him directly, raising his hands as he urged his own power to the surface erratically and shooting out a Galick Gun ray to get it away. Blue and purple raw energy clashed violently as the two blasted and held their prospective beams, with Vegeta forcing Goku’s back just enough to suppress the heat that would have burned him to ash if Kakarot ever willed it. He could feel his singed hairs along his brows from where the plasma had licked him and grunting, Vegeta shoved, pushing with all his strength and will. Goku echoed him and thrust back with his own, their attacks growing thicker and more uncontrollable as the two streams forced against the other.   
  
Vegeta could feel the sweat staining every inch of his body, his muscles burning, lungs straining, heart beating like a war drum within his chest. Every part of his body struggled to hold the force of the tide crashing against him, and although he could ascend to Super Saiyan God or Blue, Kakarot would just do the same. He needed a way to get around the immense pressure holding him down. So he did something else. Something cunning - a wild thought that came to mind, literally and made him internally thrill in delight. He opened the link to Goku’s mind, forcing himself inside like a bull rampaging down a narrow corridor. He caught the other off guard, Goku realising belatedly as Vegeta’s golden form assailed him mentally, filling all his senses and flooding him with Vegeta’s presence. Almost similar to how it had been when they merged, except he let Kakarot in this time, letting him feel him and intruding him with whatever leverage he could find.   
  
It was alien, he admitted, and a bit cheap. He hadn’t tried an attack like this before so he really had no idea how it would affect them, either of them. Usually the link was just for communications sake but he had never, ever been intentionally hostile. Not until now. Now it was like he had forced open a gateway and crashed down upon it a tidal wave, thrashing apart both doors on either side; the one connecting to Kakarot and the other shutting himself away from the other. The wave of the Kamehameha blast faltered as Vegeta let Kakarot feel his intent, his willpower like an endless tide of raw pooling rage. He was the dominant in the fusion, what was stopping him from dominating him here too?   
  
Goku made a sound, something a bit feral as he suddenly felt Goku’s mental state slip and in that moment, he made his move. Vegeta darted, flitting in and out of sight around the side of the blast. Coming within range of Goku’s body, Vegeta blasted him at close range with another Galick Gun, the purple bright light drowning out the dimness of the storm as well as the glows of their clashing auras. Goku’s gaze darted up to him, dazed, with Vegeta mentally noting the last thing he saw before Kakarot was swallowed in a sea of seething energy was his green pupils dilating. Kakarot went flying back, spinning uselessly through the air, blood trailing in the air behind him as well as bits of tattered gi and smoke following in his wake. The light of his golden hair fizzled as he tumbled toward the earth through the atmosphere and for a moment, Vegeta held his breath. This was the moment he had waited for. Had he finally defeated Goku? Had he finally _won_?   
  
Goku tumbled and turned over and over, vanishing beneath the clouds and through the white beams of lightning as they corralled a little less chaotically, with one less Super Saiyan forcing their energy. Vegeta hovered there, watching with a loosened jaw, shock rippling through him. It was too good to believe, and it was. Because as soon as he thought to get down there and catch Goku before he made a crater and destroyed the canyon, a sudden blue light pierced his mind like a knife. Vegeta cried out in pain as the image of Goku’s Super Saiyan Blue transformation came forth like the sun, burning back the tide he had wrought and casting it away.   
  
It was like being drawn into a great blue sun, flames of Kakarot’s rage searing him through his skin and into his being. Vegeta clutched at the sides of his temples and grit his teeth hard, pulling his presence up like a wall, a shield and trying to force shut the door of the link between them. But it was too late. Goku suddenly materialised above him through instant transmission, bending time and space around him momentarily as reality wobbled and shuddered. Vegeta recoiled as suddenly Goku, aura and hair burning bright in the brilliance of the god ki hammered both his fists down hard at once and slammed into Vegeta’s skull.   
  
The force of the blow left his vision swimming, black pock marks swimming and distorting his sight. Everything was suddenly so dizzy and upended, spinning round and around as he tumbled, feeling only pain and heat burning the fringes of his mind. He saw Goku’s form in his mind pull back as he fell, blue flames reclining and burning out into itself as the link was shut down from the other side. He could barely fathom that Goku had closed it as he descended uncontrollably toward earth. It was the first time the other Saiyan had forcefully shut it down, always being the one to cheerfully engage even if it was against Vegeta’s better judgement. Always leaving the link open, almost hopefully.

His vision was close to blacking out, and he swore he could feel his hair was growing wet with something but he wasn’t sure why. It felt like his brain had been set alight, like someone had just poured gasoline and flipped a match onto it. It was unpleasant to be described at best, but through the pain, and the slow climb of his consciousness back into normality, he faintly registered through it muttering, and warm hands holding onto him, catching him before the cold earth could claim him.   
  
“Vegeta? Vegeta! Can you hear me?” He could hear Goku’s voice ringing out, somewhere much too loud and and much too close with the migraine he could feel coming on. Groaning, Vegeta raised his head and found the darkness in his vision draw back, fitting into sharp spikes of black and dark eyes filled with concern. Vegeta looked up into Goku’s gaze and blinked, suddenly finding himself back to his senses as he cringed and went to hold the side of his head where it felt like it had exploded.   
  
“Here, have a senzu bean!” He could feel something cool and smooth being pressed to his lips incessantly and instead of eating, he turned away stubbornly. “I don’t need it, Kakarot! Let me go!” Goku didn’t listen and instead nudged the bean back to his lips. “You’re badly hurt! Come on, Vegeta. Please. I did this to you, please let me help you.” “Oh, you did this to me alright,” Vegeta could feel his anger growing like hot pressure within his chest, like a valve almost rattling to set itself loose. He turned to glare all his malcontent into his Saiyan lesser, gripping onto the hem of Goku’s clothes which barely looked recognisable with all the damage it had sustained. “What were you trying to do, exactly?! Kill me?!” “What? No!” Goku looked shocked at the accusation, and hurt, and yet despite it, he was still trying to push the senzu back towards Vegeta. “I only did what you did to me!”   
  
Vegeta hissed, feeling the migraine throb like someone was taking a hammer to his skull. All this yelling wasn’t doing him any favors and Goku was right. He’d only answered back what was given, and Vegeta had no idea what effect that attack would have, considering the link affected both of them. He grit his teeth and snarled silently before looking away from the saddening expression on Goku’s face. He looked like a kicked dog.   
  
“Please, Vegeta,” Goku pleaded. “Let me help you…” Vegeta was angry still, at Goku, at himself...at his own foolishness. Giving in, he turned to Goku’s offering and opened his mouth, too weak to feed himself. Goku’s expression lit instantly and he gently slid the bean to Vegeta’s lips, who bit it and chewed it back with a frown. He ate it automatically like a machine, not really registering the taste before swallowing it down. He flicked an angered glance at Goku who looked away, but it was too late. He’d been caught staring at his mouth again. Just what the hell was his problem?   
  
Vegeta licked his lips, tasting the blood on them, studying the blood on Kakarot's clothing and skin. They’d both done a number on one another. Kakarot’s black eye had completely swollen over now and as Vegeta found his strength renewed, he sat up, looking Goku over to take in the damage he had sustained. Goku let him go as he sat up, moving back a little to give the Prince his space and itched the back of his head. It was a tick Vegeta noticed, something he did when he was nervous or unsure.   
  
“Alright, Kakarot. You’re right. I shouldn’t have done it.” He felt abysmal even apologising to Goku, saying he was right. It wasn’t a direct apology, but it was the closest Vegeta had ever came to saying sorry. The other Saiyan searched his feelings as that twinkle of happiness returned to them and knowing them to be true, a smile crept into Kakarot’s features, lifting and making him look younger.   
  
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” His smile broadened as he pat his own head before shifting closer to Vegeta, eyes closing as he grinned goofily. “Tch,” Vegeta looked away and crossed his arms, finding that the migraine had quietened down and the blood had stopped running down from his forehead which he now realised was previously gushing. Guess he might have cracked his skull before the senzu healed it.   
  
He didn’t really know what to expect now that they both realised they could hurt each other psychically, mentally...or whatever the hell that was. It was like they were attacking each other's _souls_. Just the idea of it for some reason made Vegeta shudder, realising once again that void inside him yearning for connection and that for some mysterious reason, him and Goku were now linked by something unseen and so far, unexplained. Regretfully still, he didn’t realise how close Goku had come physically until he felt the other male’s breath on his cheek. He turned his head to find Goku sniffing him, and his cheeks instantly filled with reddened heat, eyes widening.   
  
“What are you doing, Kakarot!?” He demanded in a tone a little higher pitched than he would have liked, leaning away as Goku rubbed his nose like it itched, looking down at him. “I dunno. Thought you smelled nice.” The other Saiyan mused, shrugging nonchalantly, like what he said didn’t even matter. The comment left Vegeta flabbergasted and disarmed, his voice hitching with a sort of choked sound. The heat in his face crept to his ears and Goku rose a brow, placing his palm against Vegeta’s forehead. He noted then just how hot Goku felt and somewhere, in some animalistic part of Vegeta’s brain, some part close to the void that felt empty ever since Kakarot left it seemed to like how despite the callouses on Goku’s hands, they just felt _nice_.   
  
“You sure you’re okay, Vegeta? You look like you’re getting hot. Are you sure you don’t have a fever?” Vegeta was sure he’d rather be anywhere but here right now. Like he’d be okay if he was actually dead, in a crater somewhere in these canyons, long, lost, forgotten. Instead he was sitting next to this idiot and thinking, somehow, it felt nice to have his hands on him. In a way that wasn’t just fighting or causing delicious pain.   
  
“I have to go,” Vegeta announced suddenly and stood up. The world spun a bit and Goku could only sit there and watch, mouth agape stupidly as Vegeta flared his ki and took off into the night sky, his face ablaze.   
  
Oh gods. What the hell was wrong with him!?


	3. Ties to the Flesh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta gets an unexpected consultation and plans his next move.

He paced back and forth, hands clasping into fists and unclasping at his sides, the Princes mind a whirlwind of implications and denial. All he could think about was Kakarot’s words, the way he had complimented his scent like a runt in heat, the way those same idiodic hands felt so good on his body. What the fuck was wrong with him!?

“Go away!” He shouted mentally at the rapping door of his mind, feeling Goku leaning against the other side, knocking incessantly. Once upon a time ago, before the first fusion, he would have rather lost his body than to have anything to do with Goku. Now, it felt like the world had spun over, turned topsy turvy. He had also thought, like a fool, that maybe Goku was asexual. He clearly loved his wife and family but he remembered the comment that Kakarot made when they had travelled to the future together with Trunks, about not kissing his wife. 

The idiot was married and Vegeta simply waved it off as being a part of whatever he deemed himself to be, a part of his nature. But there was no other explanation for the way that Goku had looked at him, the glint of interest and curiosity that sparked in his eyes or the subtle tell-tales of attraction. He’d seen it many times amongst his people, back when their planet was still breathing and Frieza was an after-thought. Battle mattered most, so sex was really just a commodity, a necessary thing that needed to occur when it came to continuing their species. Only the royal bloodline seemed to put more planning into it, consorting potential mates and plotting to birth the next biggest battle power.

Commonfolk and lower class were free to be with their desires and whims, not constricted by the traditions or expectations placed upon his father and his father before him. They fucked where they wanted, as much or as little with whomever they liked, man or woman - as long as the species continued and conquered, what else mattered?

Vegeta thought that was out of the equation when it came to Kakarot, yet here he was, faced with the sudden yet, aloof interest of the other Saiyan...and potentially, his own in Kakarot. No. _No._

He refused! He would not stoop nor lower himself in such a way! To even think of it was just blasphemous! Vegeta could feel his temples throbbing, catching a glimpse of himself in the hallway mirror as he passed by and counting the individual veins sticking out near the crest of his widow’s peak. So he turned his frustration to the gravity chamber and maxed out the settings, punishing himself with the most brutal work out he had given himself in years. He trained for days in that thing, stopping only to eat, drink, and piss but eventually the machine broke and he retreated once more to the dimension Whis and Beerus called home, offering the deity and the angel a tribute of delicious cold noodle dishes and home cooked packed lunches.

The weighted outfits Whis had made continued the work of the gravity machine, urging his muscles to tighten and thicken as he strained endlessly, laboriously under the undying twilight. The angel had noticed, and Vegeta had noticed in turn, watching the Prince work with a neutral, cool look to his face. Almost as if he could see right past his walls and straight into the traitorous thing disturbing his heart - the thing making him do this ridiculous ritual he had done countless times before but had never learned from.

It only made Vegeta work harder, determined to put whatever was in his head into the ground, like if he just sweat and bled enough, it would be purged from his system like some sort of virus. His arrogance and pride caught up with him eventually. Vegeta began to slow down, his speed decreasing as well as his ki and energy. His muscles felt like they were slowly being filled with concrete, his bones grinding down into dust under the weight of himself, form turning to jelly. The Prince collapsed one morning as he tried to make his way out to train in the gardens, barely able to drag himself across the ground. Just one hand in front of the other he told himself. _Just a little bit more_ …

The pointed toes of Whis shoes came to rest before him and he struggled, barely able to tilt his head back enough to look up at him. Whis just sighed down at him with a disappointed look, purple lips drawn thin. “Now now, Vegeta. What did I say about trying to relax during your training?” The angel politely scolded and Vegeta grit his teeth in determination, fingers clenching weakly closed. “I don’t need to relax. I...need to train.” Vegeta groaned, but it felt more like a wheeze, like even trying to talk was too much.

Whis pouted silently and shook his head, eyes closing as a slight frown disrupted his fine features. “You could at least try. If you’re going to have any hope of finding any satisfaction with your fusion with Goku, you won’t find it dead, Vegeta.” Vegeta felt his heart skip a beat but he knew it was useless. Whis knew more than he liked to give and feeling defeated, the Prince let himself flatten, turning loose and pooling himself against the ground. What good was there hiding something from a being who knew pretty much everything there was to know about the universe?

He sighed in a shudder, lids threatening to close over as he heard Whis make a disapproving noise above him, but one also born out of understanding. “...What...should I do?” Vegeta argued weakly, his voice barely a whisper as he tried to focus on the figure standing before him. “How... am I supposed to know... how to deal with it if we don’t even know... what it is?”

“My, you’re still awake.” Whis chuckled softly. “I thought you were almost out cold there. But to answer your question...what it is... is what you already know. Fusions amongst the Kami were permanent and never tested before on mortals before you and Goku came along. They were right to believe that it would be the same with you two as well. And while you proved them wrong, and events might have gone back to normal given enough time had passed for your souls to grow accustomed to your own bodies again, any hope of returning to that was driven away the second time you two fused.” Whis tapped his chin as he explained.

“You see, the Kami could do the fusion and remain together without drawbacks because they were Gods. Beings born of pure energy and good intent. They held none of the quarrels you mortals have, what with your desires and problems.” Whis waved his hand about as he spoke and Vegeta, already flat against the ground like a boneless slug felt like he was sinking in further, the realisation burying him in. Whis continued. “Your first fusion was strange but manageable because your intent wasn’t pure. Your souls were manufactured to be imperfect. It’s what makes mortals mortal. It’s what kept you two from becoming fully merged. Two opposite natures and personalities could never be whole. It would have passed. But once you both learned the god ki and the powers to rival the divine, the second time you two merged sealed your fates, I’m afraid.” Vegeta felt himself swallow, his heart thumping hard against his ribcage. Everything in his body ran cold, blood turning to ice. This couldn’t be...

“You’re permanently linked to one another. Your soul and his are now merged. You might have been able to separate bodies again but that was because you’re mortal. Your souls, however, somewhere your Saiyan blood can’t protect, are now forever bonded. They weren’t kidding when they said the effects were permanent.” Whis chuckled again lightly and Vegeta couldn’t want anything more than to be anywhere else other than here. _Anywhere._ What the fuck! He was going to be stuck like this forever!? “And you always wondered why I wanted you two to work together…”

Back on Earth, and recovering from almost ruining his body to a lengthy recovery in the medbay, Vegeta contemplated. Hard. He used the time to regather his thoughts, all the while maintaining his composure and making everyone else believe everything was okay.

It wasn’t. It was far from okay. Internally he was melting down, burning up, knowing that the craving he felt to be whole again with Kakarot was going to become a part of his life for the rest of how gods know long.

He was a mess, and Vegeta felt himself cave in quietly, sighing into his hands as he leaned into them, sitting in a lone corner of Capsule Corp he knew no one would find him in. Hot tears trickled down the corners of his eyes, staining his cheeks and for a moment, he felt something warm press against him, the sensation of rough wide palms gently placing themselves on his shoulders. His eyes flung open as he sat back suddenly, gaze darting around to search out the only intruder he knew would have the gall to do such a thing.

Vegeta blinked and saw the mental image of a concerned Kakarot before him in his consciousness, brow soft and eyes warm in worry. “Vegeta...what’s wrong?” He’d somehow let his mental wall down he realised, and the idiot had got inside when he’d been too caught up in his self pity, not aware he’d left the door unlocked. “I don’t want to talk, Kakarot. Get lost...” He barked, but there was no real heat in his voice. The tone of himself seemed to ring alarm bells in Goku’s head as he straightened, the other's arms coming back to his sides through the murkiness of his mind’s eye. “What? Vegeta, you can’t just give up. Whatever is bothering you, you should come and punch it out with me. Let it all out!” Goku grinned in challenge, posturing himself like he did whenever he gave inspiring words to his allies. “Come on, what are friends for?”

“Friends?” Vegeta laughed halfheartedly in a scoff, sniffing back a sound and wiping away his tears with the back of his glove. “Is that what we are?” Rivals was what he implied but the words seemed to have gone somewhere else for Goku who suddenly turned his gaze away and frowned, leaving that sense of guilt that made Vegeta suspicious the first time he felt it. His eyes narrowed at the image of the other Saiyan but Goku continued, shaking his head like a pup trying to shake off mud. “Come on! What do you have to lose? You haven’t trained with me in two months and we promised we wouldn’t hide our powers from each other. Not after last time. I bet you've gotten real strong since you've been training with Whis.” Is that what they were hiding? He recalled how hurt he had felt when Goku had hidden his Super Saiyan 3 transformation from him, but it wasn’t power this time that the two were trying to dance around.

Oh no, it was deeper than that. Goku looked pleading but determined, his presence like the sun as he pressed upon Vegeta's consciousness, trying to make him agreeable. Vegeta could shut it out for a while, but it would return later, burning bright with a vengeance. Going to sleep wasn't an option. “Alright, fine.” Vegeta grit back the sharpness of his voice and Goku smiled at him, beaming through the venom. “I’ll come along to your stupid training. But just like last time, no holding back..and I mean it.”

“I wouldn’t wish for anything else, Vegeta.” Goku replied, and felt the other Saiyan turn back to the corners of his own consciousness, the golden rays of his ki retreating like a warm promise. Oh, he’d wish for something, the Prince thought aloud. He would get to the bottom of this amalgamation of a link, once and for all, and then he’ll find out if Kakarot was really being serious, or was just playing around.

Maybe then, once he knew where Goku stood on the matter, he’ll be able to resolve his own tension and move on with his own life.


	4. Ties of Experience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goku reveals his feelings and Vegeta displays his maturity to lead his friend through their insecurities.

Rocks cracked beneath the weight of his power, turning upright as his aura flew open, shrilling a song. It dazzled and scintillated as he headlong rushed toward his rival, matching Kakarot punch for punch as they lunged out too fast for the human eye to see. Their god ki struggled and thrashed as they sparred through the canyon, each ricocheting punch causing the trees beneath to snap and topple over, rocks to wriggle free and boulders to dash madly down from the mountain tops where they had been precariously balancing for decades.

The sun had risen into a new dawn, and with it, Goku and Vegeta had ascended, climbing through their power levels and various forms to try outmatch and outwit the other. It was exhilarating, but then again, Super Saiyan Blue had always felt like that, hadn’t it? Whis had taught Vegeta well, and his self-flagellated training had paid off. Even with their forms matching, Goku struggled to keep back the force of Vegeta’s blows, the bludgeoning of their fists connecting sounding more like the explosion of lightning and pyroclastic flow. Sparks from the friction of their energies colliding flew off every time they clashed and in a vicious grin, Vegeta rushed forward, underneath from where Kakarot was blocking him and headbutt Goku straight in the jaw.

The other Saiyan whined loudly as he tumbled back from the push, holding his mouth shut with a startled, hurt look to his eyes. Fresh blood trickled down from the corners of his lips and Vegeta stilled, laughing in a loud mocking tone. “Finally, something to shut you up. Almost made you bite off your own tongue, didn’t I?” He sneered, and Goku blinked back the tears that threatened to crawl out. They weren’t serious, but it still felt rewarding.

“You wanted that to happen?!” Goku’s inner voice rang into his mind like a church bells, unable to talk, and as quick as the other had been taken off guard did he slip back into a defensive stance, this time parrying Vegeta’s fists and using his height to the advantage by landing a knee blow to the centre of the Prince’s chest when Vegeta had let his guard down accidentally by being too aggressive.

Back and forth they went, bones crunching, skin purpling, crimson oozing from open grazes until lunch time came and the rumble of both their stomachs forced them to take pause. They hadn’t brought any meals out with them and instead retreated down into the gorge to feast, back to the same place they had first met. Having survived in the wilds in their own prospective ways, the Saiyans were no strangers to hunting, and Goku and Vegeta both hauled the car-sized fish they had caught to the banks of the river to roast.

They had diminished the leviathans down to their skeletons in a single meal and burping, Goku patted his stomach in satisfaction, tossing away a bone to the growing pile behind them. “Wow, that was something. Kinda wish we had something for dessert.” Vegeta murmured a noise of agreement as he cleaned off his fish steak, licking his lips clean of the juices. His gaze instantly snapped to Kakarot whom he caught staring, with Goku turning his head away and itching his nose. He’d done it deliberately, to see if Kakarot really was watching him after all and he wasn’t going to let him get away with it. Not this time.

“Kakarot...don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” Vegeta warned in a low tone, picking up another strip of fatty meat. “What?” Goku replied harmlessly before asking. “What am I doing?” Vegeta snarled at him, showing his teeth defensively. “You! Looking at my mouth. You’ve been doing it since that time we fused to fight Black. Knock it off!” Goku didn’t really know how to react to that one, looking caught between dumbfounded, confused and sorry all at once. He blinked. He blinked again. The gears turning round in his mind.

“Ugh,” Vegeta grumbled and continued eating. So Kakarot was going to pull the fool card, or he really didn’t understand what he was doing. “Did you ever wonder why it’s been different since we fused?” Vegeta asked, trying to keep himself calm, try keep himself reasonable to make Goku see. Goku scratched at the back of his head, struggling to follow along. “Not really. I tried talking to King Kai about it but he won’t hear me out.” A pause. “And why’s that?” Vegeta looked up at him, throwing the cleaned bone to join the others. Goku merely shrugged and said. “He won’t speak to me. Something about not resurrecting him with the Dragon Balls.”

So that would explain that. “And you didn’t think to try to get an answer from anywhere else? To gather the _Dragon Balls_?” A small strain of frustration had worked its way back into the Prince’s tone but Goku as usual was aloof to it. “I didn’t think there was any point to it, what with you going to visit Whis and ask him about it.”

Vegeta stuttered a muffled sound of shock, his hands trembling at his sides. “And how the hell did you know about _that_?” “Well... I saw it.” Goku replied, like it was just something Vegeta should already know about and tapped at the corner of his brow. “Remember? Our fusion. I can see what you’re doing when you leave yourself open. Didn’t think I’d let you sneak off to do training without me knowing, did you?” Grinning, Kakarot leaned back proudly with his arms behind his head, earning a growl from the Prince who came to stand in alarm and offence.

“You imbecile! You didn’t stop to think that I wanted to keep that private?!” He screamed. Of course he would get the worst of both worlds: the drawbacks of the Kami fusion being permanent in soul form, and the taint of having his mortal desires and imperfections cause their fusion to twist into...into _this_...

Goku merely laughed nervously, childishly and Vegeta straightened, pulling in his rage as he decided he had had enough and to enact his plan. He approached Goku in a deliberately slow stride, watching as the other Saiyan continued to chuckle along. “I’m sorry Vegeta. I guess I should have left you alone, huh?” Kakarot opened his eyes, surprised at finding Vegeta in front of him and blinked up at him dumbly. The Prince raised a leg and placed his boot on Kakarot’s chest, letting him feel the weight of it briefly before shoving the other down.

Goku grunted softly as his back connected with the earth, and Vegeta let his boot crawl higher, pressing into the other male’s cheek, forcing it side on into the ground before pulling away. He could feel the invasive mental probing of Goku’s consciousness as Kakarot looked up at him in a soft glare. “What was that for Veg-” He was made silent as the Prince let his feet rest either side of the other’s waist and lowered himself down, crouching over his rival’s form.

“You really don’t know what you’re messing with, do you Kakarot?” Vegeta muttered in warning, his gaze burning intent both into the flesh and the soul residing within it before him. Goku looked slightly alarmed now, like he wasn’t sure what to make out of this sudden uncharacteristic movement from his usual opponent. This wasn’t the battleground or fighting arena he was used to as suddenly, Vegeta sunk further, coming to rest above Goku with their chests pressed together from collar to sternum.

Goku flinched his eyes shut before searching Vegeta’s gaze, the twinkle of wonder and curiosity he’d seen hidden there suddenly sparking anew, along with fear, hope and so much more. The idiot couldn’t hide it forever, not when he had his heart on his sleeve. It made Vegeta chuckle, seeing Kakarot so unsure and out of his depth. He could feel Goku squirming very faintly beneath him, unsure what to make out of all of this.

“That bond we share? It’s permanent. Our souls are linked now.” Vegeta confessed. “It means as long as we are alive, we’ll remember what that fusion left behind when we became separate beings again.” His gaze searched Kakarot’s face, watching as an array of emotions flickered through him like the pages of a manuscript, a book. “Not even death can erase it. As long as we’re mortal, we’ll always be missing a part of ourselves.”

“I…” Goku mumbled, his fingers clutching at the air at his sides,“I...thought about what the Kais had said, about it being forever...I was ready to do it. To save Earth. Our friends, our families. The universe...” His voice had raised several octaves as he talked, earning an amused smirk from the Prince as he dared press them closer, their chests now connected so close he could feel the other’s erratic heart, the shape of Goku’s firm biceps. Kakarot’s warmth was immense, burning away at him along with the slight friction of their clothing. Their ki combed together, not quite threading or filling in, but close enough to feel that deeper connection that tethered them further than just skin.

“And now?” Vegeta pressed on, surprised his interrogation tactic had worked. Goku was disarmed, caught out and outmatched. Vegeta could sense his struggle internally, his mental gateway unhinged and swaying open. “And now…” Goku continued.

“Now it feels like we made a mistake.” The admission surprised the Prince, his expression hardening unintentionally. “I feel how upset you’ve been Vegeta. I thought if we trained and tried to get along, we could just forget about all of this. But I was wrong.” Frustration crept into Goku’s tone and he flattened his head back against the ground, dark bangs falling against his eyes. “All it’s done is make you hurt. We saved the world, the two of us. That made it worth it, didn’t it? Like all of this meant something? But I can’t help but feel like ever since then, our own world, the one we shared when we were together hasn’t been the same. And now all it’s done is cause pain, and worry, and have us both feel like we’re aliens living in our own bodies…”

He had underestimated the emotional depth of the man. He had felt it, while their souls had intertwined but he didn’t expect Kakarot to be so brave, so raw. He was soft-hearted, Vegeta knew that, but Kakarot had once again exceeded his expectations. Vegeta might have been the one laying over him, but in that moment, trapping Goku between him and the ground, he felt like they had finally reached equal understanding. And then it happened.

Goku, mindless in his pursuit to apologise, to make Vegeta less pained, or in an act of utter stupidity and brashness had reached up and in one fluid motion, brought their lips together. They crashed, lips and mouths melding with the slightest hint of teeth, tasting the copper of blood and the savouriness of fish. Kakarot’s body was taut and solid beneath him but his mouth was impossibly soft, and Vegeta could do nothing but gasp against the sensation, surprised as he found his body responding, blood flushing like wildfire through his ears and cheeks, all the way down to his collarbones.

It was mostly chaste, their lips pressing and sliding but it felt like so much more, like a new door between the two of them had been thrown open. Goku was slightly clumsy, his teeth pushing through his suckles, hands grabbing at Vegeta’s face, his neck, his shoulders, like he wasn’t sure where to put them. Like he hadn’t had much practice - Vegeta thought to himself selfishly, primal. Realising belatedly Goku had shared his first kiss with _him_. What the fuck was he doing!?

A repetitive question he had been asking himself since this whole thing started, Vegeta shoved backwards so hard he almost completely threw himself off of Goku’s body. Goku’s fingers caught him, latching onto Vegeta’s waist to steady him as he felt himself swaying, suddenly lightheaded and heady. Pain registered from where he had dislocated his shoulder earlier, barely noticeable as Kakarot’s fingers loosened and brushed the corner of his thumb against the collar of Vegeta’s armor. The Prince was breathing a little harder than he should.

“I thought you said you didn’t kiss, Kakarot,” Vegeta queried through the immense embarrassment he could feel welling up inside himself, along with something else. Something that betrayed everything he had ever thought or felt in regards to the other Saiyan warrior. “I don’t…didn’t..” Goku replied sheepishly, his cheeks reddish in a boyish way that made him look cute. Handsome. Oh gods, Vegeta thought he looked _good_.

“But, Chi Chi is your wife. You’re _married_.” Vegeta pressed on, his face on fire but refusing to let up, let go before whatever this is was sorted out. He had come this far. He wasn’t giving up now. “I know." Goku replied, "But I just never felt like I wanted to, with her. I always liked Chi Chi but she always kinda scared me. I only did what she asked because she wanted it from me. She wanted me to be a good father... but I guess my heart just wasn’t in it.” Vegeta just stared down at him, his face hot but his mind surprisingly calm despite its racing, studying as Kakarot itched at himself and laughed in that same familiar nervous tick.

“Then what the hell made you want to do that with me? Just now?” The Prince couldn’t help but make a squawk of protest as he felt Kakarot’s arms envelop around him as he sat up, realising he was still sitting over him, _on_ him. “I dunno,” Goku replied, licking the corner of his mouth, as if remembering the taste Vegeta had left there. “I guess I felt like I could trust you... It’s something I wanted to do, I guess. When we fused, we shared everything. Doing that now, it didn’t seem like such a big deal since we’ve already shared everything else...:”

Vegeta stammered as Goku rested his head against his chest, holding him in a tight endearing embrace. He felt like he was being choked despite how gentle Kakarot was, like his throat was betraying him and closing up. This wasn’t what he envisioned at all. A little interrogation, a little physical pressure and Goku would have given in and confessed and they would have sworn to never speak of this again. They would have continued just the way they were, continue to fight and spar and push the other without worrying about their mortal coil. He could have dealt with being Kakarot’s crush if he had never acted on it.

Instead, he found himself here, trapped between his own emotions, expectations and pride and the man that was trying to make all of the troubles that had plagued him go away. It was like dying and being reborn into a new world; a world where Goku wanted him, or whatever Kakarot saw him to be. Rival, friend, ally, crush, love interest? He had no clue. Goku might have worn his heart on his sleeve but when it came to romance he was a closed book. He couldn’t fucking tell anything anymore. No right from wrong, no up or down. Vegeta’s judgement had been completely thrown to the wind, and with it any understanding of his purpose.

He had always driven himself to be Kakarot’s better, his superior in battle. But this was unknown territory and cautiously, through the fury of his struggling emotions, he reached out and placed a gloved hand against the base of Kakarot’s jaw, tilting his head to look up at him. “You need to decide what you want,” Vegeta announced, much to both his own and Kakarot’s surprise. “You clearly have no idea what you’re doing, idiot. And at this rate, you’re just going to make things worse. You don’t know what you’re asking from me. You don’t know what you want from yourself. Work it out.”

Goku could only watch as Vegeta pulled himself away, forcing himself loose from Kakarot’s carefully held grip as he came to stand before him, clenching his fists and looking displeased despite how many butterflies were fluttering in his stomach. “You’ve never dealt with this before, or anything like it. I’m more experienced than you so I know where things like this lead. I know what it’s like. You on the other hand have only just found out what it means to have desire. So before you go and make a fool out of yourself, and disgrace yourself in battle by letting your guard down like you did before, go and figure it out.”

Vegeta turned away, folding his arms with a huff as he cast his gaze to the waterfall tumbling down the side of the canyon. “Don’t make yourself soft over this, Kakarot. You’re a warrior. Where is your Saiyan pride? Battle should always come first, no matter who is involved. No matter the cost.” The blush that had worked its way through his face and neck began to simmer down as he heard Goku’s footsteps approach from behind him, having pulled himself from off the ground.

“So go do whatever you need to do to get yourself in check. Train, sleep, eat, spend time with your sons, your wife. I’ll find you when I think you’re ready. Got it?” He smirked cockily through the flush, sniffing. “You always leave your vapid head open and readily easy to read. Makes you an easy target, more than you know.” He stopped himself from flinching when Goku’s hand came to rest on his shoulder, squeezing with reassurance.

“I will, Vegeta. Thankyou...” Goku's tone was full of genuine care and gratitude and it made Vegeta feel funny, wanting to get away before his own whims took control. Seeming to reach an accord at last, Vegeta didn’t watch nor turn as he flared his energy and kicked off from the ground, leaving Kakarot behind to spectate as he soared up through the clouds and disappeared over the horizon.

His whole world had changed, and his relationship with Kakarot had crossed an unspoken line but as the wind lashed at his skin and his hair whipped, Vegeta sighed, and for the first time in a long time, felt peace. He could still feel the presence of Goku’s mouth against his own, curiously seeking, pleading.

Vegeta wasn’t bothered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this Chapter. I see a lot of fanfics in many fandoms where characters rush into passion without thinking. In this, Vegeta is the more sexually and romantically experienced of the two, and knows the complications related to such relationships. They're middle-aged and I wanted to show that despite the attraction, Vegeta has always been a thoughtful man and doesn't think with his dick like he might have been had he been younger. It also shows that by making Goku think about what he's doing, he is showing his respect to him. I am hoping I am doing these two justice and giving them a realistic approach to their connection. As usual, if you like what you see, please leave a comment or a kudos. Your support in my work means a lot. :)


	5. Ties to the Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their relationship changes and with it, the promise of something else.

Vegeta sat alongside Bulma, Trunks and their extended family and friends as they ate breakfast together, the Saiyan’s mind distracted as the others prattled on about the new capsules that were being developed for longer, more comfortable space travel. He ate automatically, not really registering the taste, something the Bulma noticed and pried him about later on once everyone had left. He hadn’t told her what had happened with Kakarot.

Things between Bulma and him had been fading out for years. The passion that once burned like hot iron was little more than a wavering candle in the present day. He still adored her, loved her for her brilliant mind and putting up with him, but he would never admit aloud that the spark that was once there had long since gone. Instead, he had simply accepted it and never spoke about it. Bulma had left it alone - the two of them too consumed in their own personal projects to care much for romance anymore anyway.

She only seemed bothered about the change in their relationship when it became obvious to outsiders. Vegeta needed to step his game up, she had said, which was fine by him. He could pretend, give into her when she needed him. It didn’t stop him from fulfilling the promise he had made to Kakarot. No, instead it seemed that the only damned thing that would stop him was Kakarot himself.

The fool had pledged to Zeno and asked for the Tournament of Power to commence. The only reason Vegeta knew about it was because he had felt Goku’s conflicting emotions that had been stirring for weeks seem quieter then; the sense of unbridled excitement flowing around him like a maelstrom of expectation. Ever since their kiss, Goku had been like a flickering star in his consciousness, burning in and out, higher and lower, like a switch being flipped.

Kakarot had always been easy to adapt when it was needed of him but it seemed like whatever was plaguing Goku’s mind was causing more trouble than Vegeta had anticipated, urging him to make hasty stupid decisions...well... more stupid than his _usual_ idiotic ones.

It forced Vegeta to confront Kakarot sooner than he would have liked, deciding to visit him at his mountain-side home. Crops of freshly planted radishes and cabbages lined the fields as the Prince soared overhead and landed outside late one evening, rapping on the window he knew led to Kakarot’s bedroom.

“What were you thinking?!” He yelled so hard that the ground shook. Goku stood there with a furrowed brow as birds were frightened from their roosts, taking off into the sunset. They had taken the conversation to the forest outside the hut, sheltered amongst the trees and the natural pools of mineral water that had dripped down from the mountain springs.

“Asking the Omni King to host that tournament?! Do you want this whole universe to burn down to the ground!? My wife is about to give birth any day now and you decide to pull this ridiculous garbage to sate your need for battle?! Do you have any sense at all!?”

Vegeta was beyond livid. He’d given Goku time to think, to decide what he wanted out of their complications from the fusion, not to make life-ending choices for them and everyone else who shared existence. He wanted to crush the air out of the other’s lungs. “I’m sorry, Vegeta. I wanted to see what the other universes had to offer! They said there’s really strong fighters out there-” Vegeta grit his teeth and slammed his fist into the side of Kakarot’s head, the other Saiyan’s skull immediately swelling with a large purplish lump that caused Goku to flap at it.

“So you go and organise the mass execution for the entire universe?! I can’t believe you!” Fists curled ready for battle, Vegeta advanced upon him, looming. Despite being shorter in size physically, the Prince felt like he was towering, forcing open their mental link with a bullying shove and flooding Kakarot with the unleashing of his anger. The swell of his rage felt like it contained the power of the ocean, crashing down upon Kakarot like a deep raging tide. Goku’s whine heightened into a scream as he suddenly collapsed to his knees, holding tightly onto the sides of his head.

It felt like the whole damn thing was going to burst and Vegeta could imagine it, the melon of his skull caving under the pressure from the inside out, turning his insides to mush. Blood trickled down from Goku’s ears as he was worn down, his whole body wracking in pain. Feeling Goku slip consciously, almost like he was about to pass out, it caused Vegeta to pull back, giving Kakarot breathing room to regain his senses.

He envisioned the waters receding, waves lapping backward to the corners of his own mind as Goku gasped, still clinging to himself as sweat and blood trickled onto the ground. “Typical, for a moron. I asked you to be mindful. Can’t you just use your damn brain for just once?” Vegeta stood over him as he continued to berate, watching as the other’s limbs shook as he tried to pull himself upright.

Kakarot was showing signs of losing his temper, a look of challenge and anger stirring within the dark depths of his irises as he glared up at the Prince for defacing him. “Oh, there it is,” Vegeta sneered down at him, unperturbed, smug. Oh, the glee he felt when he could push Kakarot out of his comfort zone.

“Can’t you just shut up and stop being a dick to me for just once, Vegeta!?” Goku snapped in reply, loud enough to waver the grin off the Prince’s face as he felt Goku’s aura begin to fan out, like the rays of the sun heating at the crux of a hot summer’s day.

“If you’re going to tell me to shut up Kakarot, why don’t you make me? You’ve been making mistakes long enough, idiot. It’s time someone put an end to your stupidity.” He was being harsh, he knew that. But Goku needed to be set straight after keeping the tournament decision hidden from him and the rest of the Z fighters.

His only warning was seeing Goku ‘s muscles bulge before he shifted up to Super Saiyan Blue. The Prince barely had time to ascend to the same power level before Goku threw out a wide punch, launching at him at blinding speed and sending Vegeta flying away from the force of the impact. Vegeta levelled as he spun, the side of his face stinging and swollen, vision swimming as he saw through it a flash of orange. Raising his arms and successfully blocking Goku’s kick, they flew higher, lashing and punching and kicking ferociously.

Goku’s frustration oozed from every pore, taking it out the shorter Saiyan as he barraged him in a storm of calculated attacks: stabbing, jabbing and slamming him so hard their bones rattled and the Prince felt his internal organs bruise under the protection of his armor. Vegeta dodged as many as he could, using his smaller, more agile body to duck and weave between Kakarot’s blows as they flashed in and out of sight, trying to gain one up on the other.

He’d never seen so much pent up vexation come from his usually kind-natured rival, the gentle energy he radiated now singularly burning and soaring like an enraged dragon. It was like they had flipped sides and Vegeta recalled what Whis had said, about their souls interlinking and entwining. It left parts of themselves in the other, trapped like poison. Like some invisible, foreign agent that no one else could detect except for themselves and the divine.

Kakarot’s eyes burned into him as he continued his battering assault, flickering briefly out of view to appear behind Vegeta and kick out at his lower back with both feet. Vegeta snarled as he rebounded from the force, feeling his spine fold back as he tumbled through the atmosphere. That’s right, he was a part of him now, just as much as he was a part of _Kakarot_.

“Kakarot, wait!” Vegeta shouted, turning toward him as Goku came plummeting down, teeth bared hard in his jaw. Vegeta held up both his hands, palms open toward him defensively but Goku ignored him, pushing past as he slammed into him, head first. The smaller Saiyan spluttered, saliva and blood flinging from his mouth, head stinging. He could barely register the grip on his ankle as Goku caught him and turned sharply, spinning round and flinging Vegeta away from him, only to charge up a quick Kamehameha and fire it into his exposed back.

Violent blue auroras of energy surged around him, trying to rip through his armor, burning into his skin as the beam propelled him, forcing him to be thrust in whatever direction Goku had sent him. “Goku! Stop!” Vegeta shouted in desperation, eyelids clenched tight as he finally felt the edges of Kakarot’s consciousness reach his, reading him through the corridor of their linked selves. The blue beam of the energy wave quietened, fizzling down enough for Vegeta to let himself out from its trajectory and watched as it soared past him and into the atmosphere.

Vegeta breathed quickly, clinging a hand to his arm where steam rose from where the flesh had been burned clean off. An ugly red mark exposing inner networks of muscle tissue had worked its way through his deconstructed armor and spotting the stream, Vegeta float back down to douse his singed flesh in the river nearby.

He hissed as the icy cold waters washed his wounds clean, feeling an unwanted shiver climb up the base of his spine. Goku had landed shortly after him, having powered down with a troubled expression. He held that same guilty look to his face but remained quiet as Vegeta let the water take with it the pain, realising just how much he hurt all over. His own hair faded back to black as he turned to glare at Kakarot, continuing to wash himself despite the other watching.

“There you go again, losing control. What’s with you lately?” Vegeta’s tone was sharp tongued and demanded explanation as Goku sat submissively, crossing his legs on one of the rocks nearby. Goku was injured too, and Vegeta noted the red pressure marks down the other Saiyan's arms, the tears in his pants around his bloody kneecaps and the way Kakarot's jaw seemed slightly lopsided as he rubbed at it and popped it back into place with a low crunching sound. Goku just frowned but there was no real heat behind it. It seemed all internally directed at himself.

“I’m not sure,” Goku replied, seeming disappointed, worried even. “I really wanted to do what you wanted me to. To think about what I wanted from you, and from myself. I tried really hard, Vegeta. I just...didn’t know where to go with it. I’ve never felt like this about anyone…” Vegeta despite his anger felt his heart flutter a bit at that, completely unprepared. Goku continued. “I thought if I asked for the tournament to happen, I’d be able to get a better idea. It’s like you said: battle should always come first. No matter the cost...”

“I didn’t mean it in that way, you moron!” Vegeta roared, splashing a wave of water at Goku who went to block it but was drenched regardless, blinking through the gaps in his raised arms. “I meant that, if you go chasing your heart, your love for battle should always be at the forefront, not that you should go picking a fight with every damn universe in existence because nothing else matters in comparison!” Was he really that daft? “Oh…” Was all Goku had to say about it.

Vegeta sighed a groan and let himself sink further into the water, feeling like he was butting his head against a brick wall. The utter limitlessness of Kakarot’s stupidity was as vast as his power. “Kakarot,” Vegeta growled. “What Whis said, about our souls being merged permanently. I think I know why you’ve been acting this way...letting your anger and thirst for battle get ahead of yourself.”

“And why’s that?” Goku perked in reply, sitting a little straighter. Vegeta felt like he was running into an open grave, arms open, willing the earth to close in on him and simply forget he ever existed. He blushed furiously as he folded his arms in front of himself, putting up whatever walls he could find.

“I think a part of myself has influenced you. The part of myself I try to keep under control…” Vegeta confessed, stepping out of the stream as the burning subsided. The wound hadn’t healed, but he didn’t care. “You see Kakarot, I thirsted for battle for a long time until I knew what it was like to lose someone I loved. Even though I’ve changed, that anger you feel isn’t like you,” He hated admitting things. He just wasn’t the sentimental type. “It’s me…”

Goku’s brows rose up in surprise. “So that would explain why you’ve been calmer and more accepting since the fusion happened,” Kakarot added in realisation, looking at Vegeta curiously, like he was seeing him for the first time again. “You’ve got a little bit of me in you!” Whatever cold he might have felt was quickly washed away as the blush rose and ran through his veins, feeling his nails cutting through the fabric of his gloves straight into his palms. “I...I guess…” The Prince replied, tearing his gaze away to look just about anywhere else.

Kakarot laughed lightly as he got up and came to kneel down next to where Vegeta was pulling himself up on the bank of the river, gleaming a smile as the Prince glared up and found himself almost nose to nose with the other warrior.

Huffing and shoving aside his pride, Vegeta reached up and grabbed a fistful of Kakarot’s gi, shaking him a little. “Do you even know what you’re doing, Kakarot?” Vegeta queried sharply, some of his confidence coming back to him as Goku’s smile dimmed. “Did you think even once about where you wanted this soul bond to go? Whether you wanted to try and exploit it to see if we could get any further power from it? Because as it stands, we don’t have much time left before we’re fighting for our lives, thanks to you. And you getting close and chummy with me isn’t going to fix anything unless you damn well decide something.”

Goku's brow dipped in concentration. “I was thinking about it, Vegeta. I just...didn’t know what to do. You’re the first person I’ve felt like this for and even if we do get more power from it, I wanted to do it right. I...guess I didn’t think we wouldn’t have more time to sort it out...” Kakarot sighed softly, dipping down and reaching out to grab Vegeta’s hand. Vegeta could only watch, transfixed as Goku wrapped his fingers around his own, pulling the gloved digits to his lips and in a simple, sickeningly sweet gesture, kissed the Prince’s knuckles.

“I guess we don’t get that luxury now, huh?” Goku joked, and Vegeta felt like he was going to burst. His whole face set on fire. Like he was certain he was just going to spontaneously combust right there and then. His knuckles burned too, and although it was a brusque gesture, it couldn’t have felt more absolute. It was Kakarot’s way of saying he was okay with what they had. That he was devoted, that he was sorry, that he wanted _more_.

That simple kiss said more than words ever could, and Vegeta felt that feeling again, like he couldn’t breathe properly. He tightened his grip on Goku’s shirt and he pulled him forward instead.

“J-Just shut up already, Kakarot.” Vegeta demanded, and without giving time for the other Saiyan to argue, Vegeta threw his lips against him. Vegeta kissed like a man starved, urging with all his will and intent and Kakarot responded, moaning softly in a wistful murmur. It was like he was trying to talk but any sound came out muffled as Vegeta’s mouth silenced his own. It wasn’t at all gentle like the first one they shared. This was a Saiyan embrace, not one that was meant to be practiced on humans.

Goku’s arms came round to hold him instinctively and Vegeta tilted himself, moved his head a little to the side and they were slotting together, perfect, perfect. Fuck. Vegeta trembled slightly as they kissed, his mouth leading the way for Kakarot’s to follow. He wasn’t sure if he was shaking from the cold or something else.

Their lips slid and held tight as the Prince’s hands climbed to rest against the Kakarot’s chest, noting as a hint of blood could be detected from where their noses had nudged together. Vegeta felt Kakarot’s tongue probing slightly as they explored, unrestrained and Vegeta opened to him willingly, widening his mouth as he dragged Kakarot in.

Goku groaned then, a sound that made the hairs on the back of Vegeta’s neck and near the base of where his tail had been stand straight. He’d never heard a sound like that come from the other Saiyan before, and it only made him want to do more. Vegeta pushed Kakarot’s tongue out from where it had been probing around back into its owner’s mouth and suckled on the other’s lower lip hard, drawing it thin as he tongued it behind his teeth. Goku only drew Vegeta closer, their chests pressing hard as Vegeta nipped down and drew blood, sampling it as if it were wine.

He drank in it readily, fixated. This was battle but in a different arena, and it was one that he didn’t intend to go easy with. That was, if Goku was willing to spar him here. Licking the rim of Goku’s bloody lips clean, he withdrew to his own mouth to finish cleaning his own, licking up the spare drops of blood that had escaped. “Is this what you want, Kakarot?” He questioned in a heavy tone, full of implication. He might have wanted Kakarot’s hands on him, but Goku hadn’t shared anything to say he wanted anything more.

Goku was flushed, his lower lip red and beaten and his gaze troubled in all the right ways. Vegeta couldn’t help but admire the look on him. He needed to look undone more often. “Yeah…” Kakarot replied after a short pause, his gaze fixed on Vegeta’s tongue. “I want this.”

“Good,” Vegeta muttered and pulled him back in, planting a bite to the side of Goku’s lips. “Then what are you waiting for?” That was all the permission Goku needed as he surged forward and resumed their embrace, holding Vegeta’s jaw as he licked and suckled fervently. Damn, he learned fast.

Vegeta climbed up onto his knees and leaned against Kakarot, moving until he straddled the other’s waist and felt the svelte tone of Goku’s hips. This was nice. Unexpectedly so. He expected it to feel good, yes, but _nice_? Then again, he really didn’t know what to expect. All he knew was what he wanted, and that was to have himself as close to Kakarot as possible in hopes it would solve their conundrum and that they could carry on with their lives.

He shifted his hips forward and ground down into Kakarot’s waist, continuing to kiss and lick as he felt Goku flinch a bit, thighs trembling. Oh? He was certain there was a reaction there, and Vegeta ground down again, sinking his hips further until his inner thighs grazed against something distinctively obscene. “Didn’t think you’d get so into this, Kakarot,” Vegeta taunted huskily, pushing Goku back until the other Saiyan had nowhere else to go except lay down.

Goku grunted in response, followed by a whine as Vegeta ground and rolled his hips lightly, feeling Goku harden even further. He hadn’t shied at all, impressing the Prince. He’d have thought Goku to be coy in bed. He laughed at the thought and felt Kakarot mentally brush against him, grunting as the imagery of the other Saiyan’s energy threaded around him to connect them there too. Vegeta shut his eyes against the sensation of having his ki invaded and dove his mouth down to snap a bite at the corner of Kakarot's jaw, kissing the blood that had welled there and licking a crimson stripe down to his throat.

Kakarot squirmed slightly, hips shifting back and forth as Vegeta rubbed his own growing arousal against the other’s stomach, letting him feel it to judge whether he was capable of handling him. Goku still didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands as the Prince toyed with him. He was being blindly greedy, groping at Vegeta’s shoulders, his back, his waist, his hair as the Prince suckled a deep purple bruise into the Saiyan’s flesh.

He delighted in the mark he left there, unknowingly letting his guard down enough to let Goku’s hands wander further, the other Saiyan's fingertips grazing over his lower back where his tail used to be. For Saiyans, this was an erogenous zone, and having the hot pressure there being feather light was maddening. Vegeta huffed and ground his hips back to have more of it, undulating a rough stroke that had Goku keen against his will.

It only encouraged Vegeta to do it again, enjoying the other Saiyan’s suffering and angled his hips on the down stroke to have Kakarot complain again. Goku responded by touching him more forcefully; stroking, caressing and groping with rough calloused hands against the lining of his suit. Vegeta huffed, hating how it was getting in the way of it and pulled back to take it off. Tugging the body of the armor over his head, he found Goku staring up at him with half-lidded eyes that seemed heavy and unfocused.

“I haven’t even got started yet and you already look like that,” Vegeta pointed out, tossing his armor away and raising his hands to the collar of his bodysuit at the front of his throat. He opened the zip, revealing a path of tanned muscle that Goku followed with keen interest.

“I can’t help it. You just feel good, Vegeta.” Kakarot responded simply and Vegeta felt the other warrior consciously seek guidance on what more there was to share, his mental state becoming sluggish. Oh, the fool.

“Well, you better hold on, because I’m not going to go soft on you.” Vegeta snarled and leaned in to claim Goku’s mouth again, this time forcing his way in with his tongue. They licked and shared the taste of blood as Kakarot responded and ground back up into him, tongues intertwining messily between their mouths. Vegeta felt heady, stung as he reached down blindly and scrambled at the belt of Goku’s gi, forcing it to open and yanking it loose.

He could feel just how hard Goku had become, the outline of his arousal undeniable. Pulling back and filled with the need to size him up, Vegeta gripped onto the shaft through the uniform and watched as Goku’s whole body responded, back arching off the ground, heels digging in. Vegeta licked his lips at the sight and squeezed down harder, feeling it out as it pulsed under his gloved fingers. Goku’s head twisted and turned as Vegeta pumped it slowly, roughly, experimentally - using the confines of his clothes to torture him.

Goku could do nothing but lay there, fingers helplessly clawing into the sand, into Vegeta’s back. The Prince could feel a distinct tingle running through his own balls, as if he were stroking his own cock while working and found the source to be the mental tether Goku was granting him, imagery of the other Saiyan still wrapped around him, drawing him closer. So their connection breached here, too?

“Get this ridiculous thing off.” Vegeta huffed, surprised by the tone of his own voice as he tugged on the orange fabric of his uniform. Kakarot had been right earlier. With what they’d been through in the fusion and the drawbacks associated with it, this wasn’t that far off with what they’d already done. It didn’t matter who was doing what. They’d gone deeper than this before, deeper than skin. Further than bone. Whoever was in what position seemed unimportant.

Goku’s hands shook a bit as he removed his grip from Vegeta’s waist and untied his belt, undoing the drawstrings keeping his pants held in place before pulling them down. Vegeta continued to gnaw at him while he worked his own uniform down, kissing, biting and drawing blood until Kakarot looked like he’d been attacked by a vampire. Kakarot liked the punishment it seemed, because when Vegeta glanced down, he found a startling sight.

Having pulled himself free, Goku’s length now laid fully erect against his belly, haloed at the base by smooth dark pubic hair. A small bead of precum had already begun to form, decorating the flushed head as Vegeta found himself more curious with it than he had initially anticipated.

Goku wasn’t overly large but pleasantly long, with a nice round thickness and a slight bend that sent it a little to the left. Hints of his Saiyan heritage could be seen in the slight colour variation of the organ, causing it to be slightly redder without requiring friction to seem bloodshot.

Pulling down his bodysuit Vegeta shoved at it impatiently, suddenly finding himself not wanting to wait any moment longer. He pushed it down until it pooled around his knees, releasing his own length as it painfully jut out from where it had been contained unattended.

His own sex was about the same size as Goku’s if a little bit darker and with more veins, tapering thick as it bowed. Goku studied, flushed throughout his face as he reached out and wordlessly grabbed onto it without command. Vegeta stuttered, his back arching further as Goku touched him, sliding his palm and fingers up and down the length in heated paths.

“Heh...we’re not that much different, are we?” Goku marvelled, testing the texture, the shape of it and straightening out Vegeta’s cock before letting it go to watch it snap back. “O-of course not. We’re both Saiyans, Kakarot. Now shut it and hurry up already,” Vegeta crawled over him, his voice heavy and laden in want. Impatient even. He wanted this. Right now. Fuck everything else.

Goku laid back obediently as Vegeta sat over him and reaching back, positioned the head of Kakarot’s cock to the entrance of his sphincter. Even through his gloves he could feel how wet Goku had become, his precum practically leaking in excitement. He had never done this before, neither of them had. But Vegeta knew enough about it and not being shy to pain, wasted no time in pushing down, impaling himself.

Kakarot let out a yell, barely muffling it by covering his mouth as his whole face scrunched up, unable to contain his mewls and keens as Vegeta forced himself down further. Fuck it hurt, but in the most glorious way.

He could feel himself bleeding and pulling himself up a bit, Vegeta ripped off his gloves and spat into a waiting palm, leaning down to slick Kakarot up before fitting him again. Vegeta grunt and frowned in concentration as he bore down, his walls stubborn to the intrusion, like Kakarot was the battering ram and he the castle. It was dry and impossibly tight, but everything in his body sung pleasure as an undertone through the pain.

Through his mind’s eye he could sense the other swimming in him, curling in, trying to contain the struggles of their deeper connection. They were so fucking close that he could feel the part of himself through Kakarot’s flesh and Vegeta’s balls tightened as he swore he could feel the same impossible warmth of his own ass squeezing around his sex. What the hell?

“I...you’re...bleeding...Vegeta…” Goku gasped, his hands clinging onto the Prince for dear life, almost as if he would fall if he let go. Vegeta ignored the pain and just pushed himself down harder, grinding his hips in roughened circulations as Kakarot filled him, pushing deeper and deeper. Damn it to hell if he was bleeding down there. He wasn’t going to let it stop him.

Breathing through the sweetened agony, Vegeta simply moved on automation. It was all he knew to do and working through pain was familiar to him. He raked his nails clean through his rival’s shirt as he rocked back and forth, further and further until they found Goku bottoming out. Leaning down, Vegeta forced his lips against the other, sick of hearing him try to keep himself quiet. Fuck the world if they heard him. They’d saved it enough times to warrant this, hadn’t they?

Goku moaned then, Vegeta kissing so rough the corner of their mouths bruised. He ground down on the base of Kakarot’s cock and responding to the invitation, Goku rocked his hips up, bouncing Vegeta slightly in his lap before he sunk down again. It was barely a few centimetres but the friction felt like a godsend.

“More, Kakarot,” Vegeta encouraged, disbelieving the words that were flying out of his mouth. Goku keened as Vegeta curved his back further in demand, grinding at a particular angle that had the other’s cock bend further. God, it was too much. Sweat dripped heavily from his brow, fingers painting bloody lines over Goku’s now bared chest as they rocked, flesh slapping each time he sunk down to the base of Kakarot’s shaft.

Goku’s pale chest looked good under the light of the setting sun, and Vegeta couldn’t resist biting him there too, covering a dark pink nipple as the other arched and startled. Goku looked half dead, half out of his mind as his hands greedily took in Vegeta’s chest as the Prince sat back up, touching and feeling his way around the muscular abs, Goku's thumbs tracing over the V of his hips. The Prince threw his head back as their hips rolled, baring down before raising, using the strength in his thighs to rise up the inches of Kakarot’s cock before letting himself sink back down again.

Kakarot caught on quick enough, holding him in place.The rhythm was punishing, slow, powerful. Every ram of his hips against Kakarot felt like a shock-wave, his cock twitching hard as it leaked all over the other warrior’s belly. The ghost-like movements of their bond were almost like a memory could feel echoing over his body, experiencing the sensations Kakarot was having ricochet back unto himself.

Everything they were experiencing, and everything he was having, Goku was taking too. He could tell with the way Kakarot’s thighs fanned and trembled with every plummet of his hips, that he was being just as fucked as he was. All he needed to do was angle right. Get to that hidden point that he had heard mentioned when he worked with Frieza’s soldiers.

“Come on, Kakarot.” Vegeta panted, tone stricken painfully as he gasped and raised himself up, plummeting back down again. “Just a little more.” Goku, clothes torn and semi-conscious blinked slowly, his eyes mostly closed, fixed shut in pleasure as he moved his grip to Vegeta’s thighs and suddenly, flipped them over.

The ground cracked beneath their melded forms, creating a sandy crater as Vegeta found himself pinned down. Kakarot’s mouth had moved to the Prince’s neck, decorating the skin there in bloody open-mouthed suckles, reciprocating what Vegeta had done to him. The smaller Saiyan could only gasp, scratching his nails down Kakarot’s back as his knees spread, baring his inner walls down as Goku filled him.

Fuck. The change in angle had Kakarot somehow slide so much deeper than anticipated and Vegeta froze, his vision whitening as the other’s cock brushed up against something untouched inside. It made his whole body curl in, his thighs tightening on either side of Kakarot’s waist as Goku froze in return, feeling the same ripple through him in their shared connection. He almost came on the spot, but their stamina in battle seemed to translate here too as Vegeta breathed through and gave Goku a filthy look before encouraging the other Saiyan with another buck.

Taking the hint, Goku gripped onto the backs of his thighs, spreading them further as he began to fuck the Prince in earnest. He tried to keep his voice down as they moved, struggling to find a pace that suited them. Vegeta continued to encourage by attending to the soft spot just behind Goku’s ear, trapping his body against him as he thrust up to meet him. Wires of electricity sparked up his spine as Kakarot shivered against him, grinding rather than pounding. He could tell that Goku was holding back and not using anything close to his full capacity, a habit that had been bred into him it seemed.

It wasn’t enough, not even with the added friction against his cock. Sure, given time, Vegeta would have got there. But that wasn’t something he was interested in. “You...hn, don’t need to be so soft on me...Kakarot…” Vegeta reached down and cupped Kakarot’s jaw, drawing his attention. “I’m not an earthling. You can...hn, let go.” _Do it_ , he urged mentally and Goku’s dazed expression hardened slightly. He was already close. Vegeta could tell through the way the other’s cock pulsed hard within the confines of his ass as well as how unbalanced his ki felt as it flared at random.

Everything felt so damn tight, all aspects of him like a bomb set ready to explode.The phantom sensation of their penetration curled around his cock as Goku moved, using his power to push back and thrust into him for real. The ground caved further as Kakarot forced himself, faster and harder, his movements becoming rigid and uneven. Vegeta was just too damn tight for him to move in and out all the way and the Prince gave back as good as he got, gripping on tight as they both rode the other out.

Everything was down to instinct at this point, and Goku’s hot hands burned into his skin as he reached down and grasped between their bodies for Vegeta’s cock. He’d learned this too, far too easily as he rubbed his thumb over the slit hard, causing the Prince to shudder as he clung and saw stars and galaxies fill his vision.

Vegeta could only let out a harsh animalistic sound as the pleasure seared down from his hips, coiling in his balls tight before finding release. He had hoped he would last longer than this, but the dual sensation was just too much. Vegeta climaxed harder than he ever had in his entire life, his body faltering, writhing as Kakarot above him gasped harshly and crushed the Prince’s cock in a punishing grip.

“F-fuck…” Goku cursed as he came, his hips endlessly slamming into the body beneath him. The bones in Vegeta's body quaked as gushing molten heat could be felt pouring in, rushing in to fill him in areas he never knew existed. He’d rarely heard the warrior curse, and the sound of it only seemed to spur him further as Vegeta’s orgasm continued to ring out, causing his walls to clench down hard, fisting around Goku in punishment as the two reached completion in unison.

His whole world was cast in black and white, swimming in blurred shapes as the energies of their kis met, peaked and hit such a perfect note that Vegeta caught for the briefest moment a rapid surge in power. With ringing in his ears, Vegeta pulled himself back to the world of the living as he felt Goku fall on top of him, clearly exhausted and overwhelmed. The Prince would allow it for only a few moments as he regained his composure, and only when he sensed Kakarot’s length soften within him did he decide to get up before anything else happened.

As quickly as the need had come, it had gone. Vegeta’s awareness snapped back into perfect clarity as he pulled himself to his feet, causing Goku to roll off him with a noise of complaint. A silent groan rushed through his nostrils as he kicked out of his bodysuit completely, feeling the warm stickiness of Kakarot’s semen drip its way down his thighs as well as a particular, unfamiliar soreness echo from his backside.

Making his way over to the river, Vegeta lowered himself down and began to scrub himself hard, ignoring the pangs and weird emotions he felt briefly flit to the surface. His mind was more focused on the curious surge of power they had both shared at the crux of their connection and began to think to himself - would it be possible that it could happen again if they were to do this more often?

Goku had somehow got up too, magically appearing next to him like a lost puppy on the side of the river and catching Vegeta off guard as he leaned in to try kiss him again. This time he didn’t stick the landing as the Prince backed off, forcing Kakarot to lose his balance and fall into the river face first. “What the hell are you doing!? I’m not being sentimental with you!” Vegeta splashed at him in warning but Goku wasn’t put off. Instead, it made him only want to try harder, catching a startled Vegeta by the waist as he nuzzled into the side of his cheek.

“Tha’ was good.” Goku complimented sleepily, ignoring the complaints coming from the Prince. Whatever it was that he was doing, it seemed he only wanted to relax and huffing, Vegeta gave in a little as Goku pressed them together in a warm hug. Fucking pillow talk.

Still, his thoughts were quick to leap back to the possibility that whatever this was, it was likely it could be used to the benefit of their training. All that mattered was getting a hold of it, controlling it somehow. If they could find a way to make it flare in the middle of battle, it could be useful. Granting each other a power boost at a needed time, tapping into a secret source no one else knew about, possibly using psychic attacks - the possibilities were endless.

“Kakarot,” Vegeta interrupted the dazed state Goku was in, who peeled one eye to glance up from where he’d been lazily nuzzling into the Prince’s neck. “Did you feel that surge just before? Back when we were...uh...”

“Yeah...now that you mention it...I do remember.” Goku replied, his cheeks still pink and flushed. Afterglow was as good a look on him as desire was. Instead, Vegeta continued. “Think about it. What if we could use that in battle? An instant power-up could be useful instead of wasting time. With the Tournament of Power coming up, there isn’t much time left-”

“-And we can use the Time Chamber to get the training we need to perfect the technique! Vegeta, you’re a genius!” Were they going to start finishing each other's sentences now? Vegeta found Goku’s arms wrapping around him harder and on instinct, he shoved them away, trying to put some distance between them before he got trapped.

“Hey! Don’t get cocky! We only just found out about how this link works. Who knows how long it will take to figure out how a soul bond works on power levels. It’s not going to be the same as physically training to increase it. It’s going to take time to try...explore other ways.” He couldn’t believe he was saying it. He was actually suggesting they try have sex more. It was the only logical reason. It worked the first time, so why wouldn’t it work the next?

Goku just blinked at him and Vegeta noted the look in his eyes, the way a certain darkness coursed through them. Shit, had he actually liked the intimacy that much? “I mean, sure, Vegeta. Whatever you say. I’m not going to turn down that kind of training with you. In fact, I’m looking forward to becoming even stronger. That is, if you think you can keep up with me.”

“Why you…” Vegeta grit his teeth and advanced upon Kakarot threateningly who raised his hands to show he wasn’t challenging him “Hey! I was only joking!” It seemed that no matter how close they got, there were some parts of them that would never change.

He just didn’t know if he could spend an entire year or more with the idiot making intercourse. Just to suggest it sounded ludicrous. He was the Prince of all Saiyans, not some...gigolo. All he could hope was that whatever result they thought they could get out of it would happen and soon. He didn’t know how long he could take up with all the soft-natured garbage. All that he knew with certainty was, that in that moment, that void inside him that Kakarot had left behind was now filled, sated even.

Vegeta hoped, for his pride’s sake, hoped to the Gods, that it would stay that way.


	6. Ties to the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding more meaning in their connection, the Prince is rudely awakened to his own unbridled emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I begun this story with the intention of making it full of smut, but I purposely left it organic. I wanted it to grow in its own direction, to take it where it felt right. What I didn't expect it was for it to take me through feels valley and down ohgodmyheart road. Please enjoy my trainwreck of a story where Vegeta apparently learns he has a heart and that it does stupid things outside of his control and pride. Also headcanon that Whis ships these two hard.  
> Much thanks to everyone who has supported this story so far. :)

No one was to know what had happened between them - that was the deal they had brokered.

It was the only rule Vegeta had been adamant about. The divines would know, both the Gods and the angels but he anticipated they would be quiet about it all, knowing of the potential for ruin that discovery could bring.

They only had less than two days since Goku went around recruiting and testing the other team members before the Tournament would begin. Meaning they had about a year or so to get their link mastered and controlled. If they were to take advantage of their disadvantageous situation, it would be now.

Mr. Popo had made sure Vegeta knew that he would be banned from entering the Room of Spirit and Time again if he blew it up like before, but he wouldn’t have allowed himself to be locked inside that blasted place for an eternity. If it meant getting out, he’d blow it up again. The Earth would need saving from its next threat if it were to survive, and who knew what would happen now that Frieza was once again in the picture. It was a risk he was willing to take.

Inside the chamber with Kakarot wasn’t as bad as he first initially thought. They’d both bought plenty of supplies to keep them fulfilled and they weren’t staying for nearly as long as their previous visit. The only difference was that unlike the last time they spent insurmountable time in each other's company, the dynamics in their relationship had changed - for better or worse.

When they weren’t busy eating, cleaning, sleeping and fighting, they were fucking. Vegeta had made sure to put up boundaries there, too. They couldn’t just have sex every time they wanted to test the link should they end up like Pavlov’s dogs and sprout boners in the middle of battle. No, they had to take this seriously, just like any normal training session and like training, there needed to be guidelines.

The first rule Vegeta put down was sex was only sex. There was no cuddling, no hand holding or anything else that could be labelled as couple behaviour. Kakarot was a little put off with that, he noted. The idiot couldn’t tell the difference between his wants and needs and if he didn’t know then it was up to the Prince to decide for them.

The second rule was that everything was to be done through mutual consent. No surprise attacks in the middle of the night, no sudden embracing. If they needed to practice then both sides would need to be on-board. Not to mention, the link wouldn’t work if one side was closed off from the other. Both needed to be willing participants to reach their full capacity.

The third rule was that nothing was done to one that wouldn’t be accepted by the other, such as how much power one used or what role they donned during intercourse. This was the harder guideline Vegeta found himself agreeing to, seeing himself as naturally superior with his royal heritage. It was something he’d need to let go, and he couldn’t give out what he couldn’t take. In this case, with their souls mended the way they were and their telepathic bonds, if one was to push too hard, it could result and end in disaster, like the time where Kakarot almost killed him in a psychic storm.

They couldn’t pull the same cocky games through their minds as they could with their bodies. Leave that to the flesh, where things were less able to cause complications. The stalwart nature of their bodies were more flexible, and while they were both confident that this would work, it was something both men were still needing getting used to.

In this timeless place, it was difficult to judge when one day started and another began. Everything just seemed to blend together. One day they’d be meditating out in the cold frozen frontiers of the chamber, the next they’d be sparring and frotting in the bathing chambers. The next would be brutal sparring all through the various temperature changing hells the room induced and other days solely focused on mental battles and trying to steadfast their invisible connection through conscious exploration.

Vegeta threw his head back as Goku’s mouth worked down from the slick hills of his abdomen, biting and nipping as he moved towards where the Prince was engorged. It had been a long day, if they could call it that. They’d each fought it out to their limits, climbing through their various ascensions until they decided to stop at Super Saiyan God, the red form that was the bridging gap between mortal life and godhood.

Vegeta and Goku both had decided to stay embracing that power to increase their stamina, knowing how taxing it was. Super Saiyan Blue was better at keeping energy reserves burning at a more reasonable level but the glittering red flame was enticing all on its own. Vegeta’s red irises peered down as Kakarot chased the drips of sweat down his stomach with his tongue, licking them up enticingly and infuriatingly.

Goku had got better at being intimate, the Prince had mentally noted. It was no surprise, really. It should have been but it wasn’t. Goku might have seemed short-sighted and immature at times but he was extremely gifted at being a fast learner and quick-witted when he wanted to be. He’d picked up the ques and the guidance Vegeta had given him, teaching his less-experienced companion the ways of embracing and chasing physical desire.

He was new to it himself when it came to being with another male, but he knew enough about pleasure and anatomy to steer them both in the right direction. Bulma had been his first and they’d fucked like rabbits back in the day. Kakarot and him didn’t have sex nearly as much. They probably screwed once a week if not once a fortnight, and that was only because Vegeta wouldn’t allow it to happen any more - mostly as a sake of pride.

Had he decided to let Goku have at it whenever they felt like it, he suspected they probably would have been in the same predicament as him and the woman had been back when they both discovered their mutual want for one another.  
He had learned, like himself, that Goku was a lover of sensation, enjoying pain and pleasure both. Vegeta watched as the younger Saiyan tongued curiously at the slit of his sex, moving down and wrapping his lips tightly around the tip. Goku sucked cautiously and powerfully, their mental link vibrating even through this motion. Vegeta saw the after-effects stirring in the depths of Kakarot’s pants. They both had laid out on the floor of the chamber amongst the rubble they had kicked up, bloody and infused in their combined divine kis. The red god form had lengthened their muscles, making their bodies leaner and more agile as they flexed, mostly naked and dripping in sweat, curled and turned toward one another with their heads level at the other's groin.

Vegeta reached out to palm the hardness he found there, feeling the twin sensation echo back to him. Kakarot hissed through his teeth as he drew back, popping the cock from his lips as he tried to keep himself from cumming in his uniform. Vegeta hummed in satisfaction, feeling the power spike burst open as he shoved mentally and pulled at the same time, pushing and pulling in a cycle, like a wheel. He was close to climaxing himself and reaching into the folds of Goku’s uniform, he took out Kakarot’s cock and bit down. Not too hard. Just enough along the side of it, feeling the veins strain close to bursting. Vegeta’s hips bucked as his own sex startled with the sharp sensation, causing his balls to tighten and his throat to pour sounds of gratitude.

He had learned that Goku shared with him his lack of gag reflex, marvelling in the way his rival could take him down whole, stuffed to the rim with him as Goku bobbed his head up and down as they shared another evening together. He should have been choking, suffocating but Kakarot only showed grim determination as he pooled all his power to try to get Vegeta to tip over the edge. Vegeta clung to the edge of the bed, his eyes dark as he tried to keep his ki and his self control under command.

Drool escaped and bubbled around the sides of Kakarot’s mouth as he slurped and swallowed around him, his mouth a hungry cavern of endless desire that the Prince swore he could get lost in. He fisted Kakarot’s hair and drew him up to his glands before slamming the younger Saiyan back down, and Goku went with the flow, frowning slightly as he powered up to Super Saiyan Blue and let Vegeta feel the force of his overpowering perseverance. With Vegeta left in just his base form, it was a completely different challenge in it’s own. It felt like he was having an out of body experience as he saw the bulge of his cock protruding against the other’s glowing cheek, expanding down Kakarot’s throat as he thrust himself all the way in.

He had learned that Goku was insatiable in his pursuit to learn and gain, Kakarot moaning breathlessly as he drew himself out of Vegeta’s ass and slumped down next to him on the stairs leading up to the entryway on the break between training sessions a few weeks later. Vegeta coughed, utterly winded as he shakily tried to raise himself up, only to slip and fall into a pool of his own sweat. He was utterly floored, his ass aching and gaping from where Goku had been pounding at it for what felt like days. It was the longest they’d been able to go at it without fully giving in, wanting to improve their stamina, and keep their link connected but dulled down as much as they could before it grew too large.

The tiles felt hot and sticky against his skin, Vegeta gasping for oxygen as he turned to look at Kakarot whom he found smiling at him in a dazed, half-lidded sort of expression. Spent. “What are you looking at?” He tried to query harshly, but it only came out as a quiet groan. His whole body was still singing in the surge of the energy that spiked its way through his bones, curling through his system like a heavenly melody, no, a concert. Goku’s smile only widened as he neared Vegeta and drew a hot, sweaty palm over his cheek, thumb tracing over the Prince’s lower lip endearingly.

“I’m looking at you,” The comment left Vegeta flabbergasted. The gall of it. This wasn’t supposed to be anything more than training! He could do nothing, couldn’t even find the strength to resist as Goku moved in and pressed their lips together, briefly and sweetly kissing before he felt something intrude him once more. Vegeta gasped, his eyes widening and his body straightened on command, snapping level when Goku’s fingers wriggled inside, tapping back into that same beautiful tune.

“Why...you…” Vegeta clenched hard, gritting his teeth as Kakarot giggled, damn right _giggled_ and mounted himself behind Vegeta, only to slip his hardening cock back inside him along with his fucking fingers. “Curses!” The Prince shouted, his thighs fanning despite himself, wanting more of it. The burning, the pain, the pleasure. He wanted it all. Deeper, fucking _more_. The imagery that Goku was sending him through their invisible tether was that of his own ass on display, suckling around Kakarot’s knuckles and shaft, almost as if he were watching a movie of himself being fucked and the Prince, appalled from the sight, slammed the mental doorway shut.

All this time, thinking he knew Kakarot, Vegeta came to realise he didn’t know all that much about him at all. He learned more about the other Saiyan in that damned chamber than he had during his entire time spent on Earth. Like the way Goku smiled when he didn’t think Vegeta was watching him, or how he preferred sleeping on his back than any other position, or that he was careful and mindful when it came to attending to the more grievous wounds they left on each other after battle.

With how rough the fucked and fought, it was no wonder they needed to patch the other up from time to time, with senzu beans being left to emergencies only. More than once did Vegeta have to give Kakarot a shot of painkiller, with Goku being chased around the extremities near and back again to escape the needles wrath. He could have been malicious about it, taunt him. But Vegeta was patient, and only once Goku understood he wasn’t being chased anymore did he eventually trail back to him, only allowing Vegeta to prick him when the Prince made a comment about him being less fussy when it came to taking fingers up his ass.

Kakarot attended to his wounds too, bandaging Vegeta up and rubbing in antiseptic where the Prince himself couldn’t reach. He could feel Goku’s fingers lingering as he smothered the deep cuts in the sterile cream, tickling over the dark scar tissue left behind from battles past. Vegeta’s chest and back were covered in them, back from his time serving as Frieza’s puppet, a past he didn’t want to talk about but felt Kakarot was curious about.

They were having lunch or dinner, he wasn’t sure which one it was when Goku finally asked about it. “What was it like? Working for Frieza, I mean.” Vegeta glanced up at him over the dining table, his appetite immediately vanishing. His lids narrowed into a glare before he forced himself to relax, quieting a sigh as he peered back down at the ramen pieces he was fishing around with a pair of chopsticks.

“It was hard work. Nothing we did seemed to appease him. We would conquer planets at his command, take in prisoners, slaves even. Nothing was out of reach. Anything that couldn’t be assimilated into his forces or bought were annihilated.” Goku listened, pausing over his own bowl momentarily to ask another question. “When did you decide you had enough?”

“Tch,” Vegeta glared harder, looking off into the endless white blur of the chamber through the window. The memories of pained, lonely nights and bloody battlefields sending him back through time. “I always had enough. Zarbon’s relentless scheming and mockery had been getting worse as I aged, and the rest of Frieza’s henchmen were quick to follow if they knew they could get away with it. After witnessing the destruction of Planet Vegeta, I thought it was best to wait it out and plan my attack instead of storming him head on. That plan was ruined when I learned that Frieza was intending to make a wish with the Namekian Dragon Balls..." Vegeta scolded himself internally. "I don’t even know why I’m speaking about this to you anyway!”

Goku’s head tilted a little, nursing a hot cup of green tea between his large hands. “So you went to Namek all by yourself? Knowing Frieza had his men with him and was still stronger than you?” Vegeta’s fists balled up defensively and thought about slamming the table. He decided not to. “Of course I did! I didn’t know you were going there or anyone else. I wasn’t going to let that monster have his wish!”

Kakarot was giving him a look, something appraising and admiring. He found it a bit uncomfortable if he was being honest with himself. He wasn’t used to positive feedback, or having anyone think good of him. “That was pretty brave of you. Going in all by yourself like that. Wow. You really didn’t hesitate, did you?”

“Shut up, Kakarot and just keep eating.” Vegeta grumbled, deciding to give up on the leftover ramen bits and taking up a chunk of pork meat instead. Goku just smiled a little, the same way he did when Vegeta didn’t think he would notice and the two went back to finishing their meal.

They continued training after that, and Goku didn’t speak about what happened with Frieza again. It seemed like he was coming to terms with something, like when the fusion had granted access to each other’s memories for a moment. He must have sensed that happen but he still wanted to hear the Prince’s motivations for doing it.

Vegeta had to admit, he was a bit curious about Goku as well. There was a blank spot in Kakarot’s memory, back in his childhood that Vegeta had sensed from when Goku was very young. He remembered Bulma mentioning it, saying something about Kakarot hitting his head when he was younger. It would explain the general idiocy he always carried.

Brain damage wasn’t uncommon amongst Saiyans. Being in so many fights and having your head pulverised so much would eventually lead to some sort of lingering after-effect, which only encouraged the vicious stereotype of them being dumb and simple-minded creatures. He wondered if the mental link would help there. Goku was obviously curious about his Saiyan heritage, having asked about Sadala and Planet Vegeta and how Frieza turned it all into dust. He sometimes asked about what life was there, what made it different to earth. Vegeta didn’t have much to go off of, but whatever he had, he gave.

“Kakarot,” Vegeta approached Goku one day after they had finished training, both men making their beds to get ready to sleep. Vegeta had already finished his and walked over to where Goku was struggling with a stubborn knot in his sheet. Goku looked up at him, their mental link now so strong he didn’t really need to open his mouth to speak with him anymore. They could just do this whenever they wanted. No conscious doorways or corridors needed.

“I want to try something,” Vegeta's mental self poked, and Kakarot’s face lit up, looking curious, if a little hopeful. Their link brightened slightly, feeling warm from shared enthusiasm.“What did you want to do?” Goku let the knotted sheet slip from his hands, finding Vegeta’s proposition much more interesting.

“I want to try see if we can fix that memory of yours. You were born on Planet Vegeta, were you not? You’ve been wanting to see it... I think I know a way to show you.”

“Ohh..kayy? Well, I’m okay with letting you try, if you think it'll work.” There was an air of confusion about it all but Vegeta ignored it. He wouldn’t know until he tried anyway. Moving forward, Vegeta placed his gloved hands on either side of Goku’s face, dark eyes locking with his own. They held the contact briefly and together, without needing to urge the other, they closed their eyes, the link of their bond twitching somewhere, far far away.

Vegeta breathed slowly, learning to pool the meditation techniques he used into this one singular path. He let his ki swim out, his blue waters mixing in with Goku’s golden flames. The two elements mixed, familiar, swimming and fanning around the other. The Prince continued to focus and relax, slowly letting his muscles unwind as he searched, finding Goku’s consciousness open for him. The mental imagery of Goku standing there with a warm look to his face made his stomach tumble a bit, and Vegeta walked up to him, the two looking at eachother as Vegeta replicated the same action here and implanted his will on Goku psychically.

Their telepathic bond burned slightly as he felt Goku’s emotions spring to the surface, ones he didn’t really want to look too closely at at the moment. There was just so much...fondness there, amongst other _things_.

“Relax, will you? I can’t focus if you’re going to keep this up.” He scorned, earning an apologetic “Sorry, sorry.” From the other. Concentrating once again, it felt like his fingers sunk past flesh Kakarot's flesh as he gave a shove through their soul link. They dove in, closer and closer, feeling their forms melding and energy colliding like two galaxies crashing. It was slow, powerful, the waves hitting his mind similar like that pain he felt the first time they fused.

Vegeta breathed through it, letting it consume him. Goku trusted him, and despite all reason to admit otherwise, he trusted Goku as well. Kakarot’s mind opened to him, flowering memories from his own point of view. He immediately skipped over the lewder, more private ones, Vegeta skimming through him like a book, rolling over the pages of his memories and taking pause only when he reached the end to hit a blank wall. This was as far back as Kakarot could remember, but Vegeta felt there was more; pages that hadn't yet ink scrawled on them, or were sealed together.

So he pushed at the darkness, searching, like a shuttle flying around in the void of space. There were no stars, no light to guide the way, no navigational paths. He was completely blind out here, like a ship without a map. So Vegeta pushed further, letting the darkness consume him and with it, the physical sensations lessened, numbed even as he felt his consciousness sink. He was going deeper into their bond, furthering his reach inside Kakarot's being and leaving behind the shell of his body. This was dangerous, he thought. Going this far into Goku's subconscious, leaving himself behind like this...

But Vegeta had done dangerous before. He knew dangerous. He _was_ dangerous. He wasn’t going to let the unknown scare him away now. Reminding himself of his pride, he continued forth, feeling Goku’s reach somewhere in the distant corner of his mind.

“Open up to me, Kakarot…” Vegeta called out, his voice echoing into the endless dark. It was warm, even here, the fires of Kakarot’s consciousness still palpable. It was all that he could feel, sense as he floated in the recesses of Kakarot’s inner universe.

“You need to trust me…” He called out again, begrudgingly, voice echoing and bouncing until it vanished. “We’ve done more than this. Don’t shut me out now…” Ironic, he felt. Like he would trust Kakarot prying into the very depths of his own being. Maybe that was the problem.

Vegeta breathed, slowing down time around him and with the last vestiges of control he had on his own form, he let go. The walls he had built up slowly began to crumble and crack, much to his own distaste.

He hated doing this, or so he thought, but it was like he suspected. One couldn’t work without the other. Vegeta needed to open to him too. This was balance. They were one. There was no way this link could actually work until they were both completely open. So Vegeta did what he thought he’d never do. He let go and allowed Kakarot in.

The conscious walls came tumbling down, and the darkness shattered slowly like crushing glass. Void turned to light as white broke through, webbing out as he felt Kakarot come into him, feeling him become one. Fuck. This was just like the fusion, deeper than he had anticipated. Feeling Kakarot enter him and be completely whole, it was so uncannily intimate, and he briefly registered somewhere far his body responding, like a distant star fluttering in a galaxy a millennium away.

The white grew out, blinding him and suddenly, there was water. His mind was filled with the imagery of running rivers, streams. No... _tears_. He could barely see through the haze as it cleared into a scene from the inside of a pod, and in the window two faces peered down back at them. Everything was distorted and infused with red as a man that looked like an older, sterner Kakarot and a woman stood outside, pressing their hands against the glass. He could see as Goku’s smaller hand reached out to them, fingers outstretched, trying to get to them so desperately.

“Goodbye.” The man said, and Kakarot sobbed and sobbed as he watched through the window as the two figures grew smaller and smaller, turning into ants in the dark, their bodies replaced by a blue and green orb. But even with them being so small, they could hear them as he ascended through the clouds, feeling their hope and loss and love reach through. “Don’t forget us, Kakarot!” The woman called out in tears, watching as their baby flew away in a last mission of hope.

 _Don’t forget_...the words rung out hard and long, echoing once more into that vast chamber. **Don’t forget**. And like that, Vegeta found himself pushed out. He gasped as his vision blurred violently, white streaking into colour as Goku’s consciousness took over, thrusting him back into his own body with one wilful push. Vegeta snapped back with a start, sweat pouring heavily from his brow as he blinked and found himself back in the time chamber with Goku sitting before him, head bowed and shoulders sagging, the two of them exhausted.

“No…” Goku lamented, hands gripping the sheet so tight his knuckles had turned white. “No..I can’t believe I forgot about them. My planet…my family...” His tone was unusually tight and Vegeta, despite feeling cautious raised a hand and contemplated giving comfort. Having the rude awakening of a memory you didn’t know existed, especially one of your deceased parents and destroyed planet would be heartbreaking. Goku never knew the importance of that place until now.

“Kakarot…” Vegeta’s tone was soft, careful as he decided to do what he knew the other needed and let his fingers rest against his shoulder, heavy, an anchor to draw back to. Goku immediately reached up for it, sniffling as he clutched at Vegeta’s gloved fingers hard. The other Saiyan wasn’t crying openly, but Vegeta knew well the touch of loss and harshness of reality. They both had, but this was probably the first time Goku had actually felt a connection with his Saiyan heritage, rather than just experiencing it vicariously through old tales.

He wasn’t sure why he was doing it, but he knew Kakarot needed more than this. So, obliging, he moved in and pulled Goku against him, letting the other Siayan rest his head and just like that, Goku unfurled his arms and pulled them tight. The Prince recalled the first rule he had put down in regards to their intimate escapades but this had nothing to with them being booty calls, or lovers, or whatever the hell they were now. It had to do entirely with one Saiyan looking after and comforting another.

Goku trembled hot and tight, pushing into him and Vegeta swore he felt wetness against his neck but didn’t comment about it. He just held on, lending Kakarot his strength just as he had done many times before.

It was a short while before Goku managed to compose himself and after wiping his face clean, he released his grip and turned his head to look up at Vegeta with soulful eyes.

“Thankyou, Vegeta. I had...no idea about what I was missing until I saw it for myself. I’ll never forget it.” Kakarot moved to hold his hand and with a slight flick of his wrist, Vegeta disengaged, putting his walls up again. “Hmph. Don’t thank me. Just use those memories to give you the strength you need to fight harder in the tournament.”

It was a simple request really, but the words made Goku’s eyes flicker, that same admiration and yearning burning as hard as he had felt when their bond had opened and poured into one another. “Yeah...you bet! I’m going to give it my all. I...just don’t want what happened to our Planet to happen to anyone else. When we win, I’m going to use the Super Dragon Balls to wish all the universes to come back to life.”

We win. Our Planet. All this talk about them being well... _them_ , it left Vegeta feeling a little uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in the way that it felt like it was encroaching on the barriers he put up to safeguard them from complications. His heart skipped a bit as Goku reached out to him and pressed a kiss to his forearm, the closest point of contact of flesh between them. The other male was being thankful, he knew. He could feel the waves of generosity radiating out of him as he tried to draw Vegeta back close again, being the incessant creature he was.

Despite the walls he had put up, Vegeta hadn’t actually distanced himself at all, still standing within arms reach and with a tug to his bodysuit, he found himself pulled in as Goku pressed his mouth to his cheek, kissing him. “Psh,” He complained, ignored as Kakarot continued to show his gratitude by peppering him with thankful, small pecks. They were infuriatingly light, making him warm but not enough to warrant him to strip out of his uniform. It was only making him annoyed.

“If you’re going to keep doing that, you better make it worth my time, Kakarot.” Vegeta warned. It had been two weeks since they last did anything related to sex and the Prince’s itch for it was coming on again. He’d come to grow fond of the time they had shared together. It wasn’t every day he could go all out on a body that could withstand the punishment and take his full power.

Goku’s irises darkened in interest and, responding instantly, opened his mouth to suckle a hard kiss into the side of Vegeta’s jaw. “Mm, I think I can do that,” Kakarot murmured and suddenly, coy, lost the confident look in his eye.

“I was wondering...did you want to…” Goku gestured at himself wordlessly, a little awkwardly and Vegeta’s mouth suddenly found itself dry. Normally it was always the Prince being ridden. He had had no qualms with it, what with still being in control, deciding the pace and setting the terms. With their link, it didn’t matter who was where but now, with being offered to take Kakarot for himself, he found his brain grinding to a stuttering halt.

A firm rosy blush rose to his cheeks as he stared down, Vegeta's teeth grinding in his jaw in an effort to have his brain catch up with himself. He reached up to his chest and grasping the armor, snapped it off. “Alright. I’ll do it. Are you sure you can handle it, Kakarot?” He had to be sure. Vegeta’s dreams were finally coming true. Sure, it wasn’t defeating Kakarot in a fight, but dominating him in this sense? It was the next best closest thing.

“Yeah, I sure can,” Goku had followed along, taking his own gi and shirt off, hands working on loosening his belt. “I know what I’m in for, Vegeta. I trust you...” He didn’t know how those words could mean so much to him. Especially after the fact of what they just did a few moments ago was more intimate than their bodies ever had been.

Vegeta dove in and covered Kakarot’s mouth with his own, kissing him fiercely and putting none of his want aside, silencing his own pleas. Goku responded and kissed back fantastically, opening his lips to invite Vegeta’s tongue without reserve. The Prince complied willingly, letting his tongue sink deep and wrestle with the other as he fought to get out of his suit, practically jumping to be set loose as he shoved the material off.

Goku kissed with enough force to bruise but there was always tenderness there, as well as a certain stubbornness, like whatever he was getting he was always encouraging more of. The Prince's breath hitched when he felt Goku’s fingers smoothing around his hips, thumbs rubbing and tracing the firm muscles, trailing up his pecs until they dragged short fingernails against the hairline of his sideburns.

Vegeta released his mouth, kicking the outfit off as he pushed Goku back against the mattress. Kakarot complied, rising his hips off the mattress as Vegeta reached down and dragged the orange material off the younger Saiyan's hips. He had forgone underwear. They both had since they started this whole thing. Kakarot’s cock had filled quickly, pulsing in time with his thundering heartbeat as Vegeta tugged at it, feeling as it thickened in his fingers and weighed his palm down.

Both freed from their clothing, Vegeta flung off his gloves so he could touch Goku without any material impeding him, letting himself indulge in the other’s scent as he bent down and licked at the junction between Kakarot’s thighs. He licked over the skin of his inner thighs and hips, hearing Goku’s voice catch in his throat as he decided to mark him there and bite him too. Blood trickled from the mark that had sunk in, small trails he relished in by licking clean.

Goku had been quietly okay to the blood play. They were both Saiyans, not humans. This was how they did things. Marking, biting, bleeding, rough. But something inside Vegeta made the Prince want to be careful with Goku, almost as much as he wanted to push him to his limits. To take care of him and nurture him as much as punish him. Perhaps it was the ruler’s bloodline in him, perhaps it was something else. He didn’t want to think about it as he licked away, his fingers pumping a slow, punishing rhythm into Goku’s cock. His rival's fingers gripped tighter onto his hair as he licked closer to the base of his shaft, inhaling the scent of musk as Vegeta's nose nudged along the line of other's pubis.

“Vegeta…” Goku whined slightly in a wanting tone, one that had an amused glance flick his way from the Saiyan Prince. “You want me already, Kakarot? I haven’t even got to the good part yet.” Vegeta smirked at the sight of the heat spreading over Goku’s chest and face, the Prince bending down and parting his lips to lick a teasing stripe up the head of the cock before him.

He felt Goku tense at that and did it again, this time letting his tongue swirl around the glands, slipping under the foreskin. He licked excruciatingly slow and Kakarot sighed, his thighs tensing as Vegeta played with his food. It wasn’t enough, he knew that better than anyone but he was doing it on purpose. Goku’s patience was fraying and he tried to lift his hips, to have more of Vegeta’s mouth on him but instead, the Prince pulled away.

“Stay.” He commanded, and with a curse, Goku let his head fall back against the mattress, his waist lowering. Content he wouldn’t try to be greedy again, Vegeta pushed lower and resumed his torture, running laps of his tongue around the head, letting Kakarot feel the graze of his teeth every now and then. Salt and bitter collected there as airy moans escaped the other’s throat, the Prince continuing to pump him, coaxing Kakarot to fully harden, painfully as his fingers squeezed down.

Once the shaft was full, Vegeta lowered his free hand and pushed two digits inside the sphincter tucked underneath. The rim was stubborn but he persisted, earning a keen as Goku tried to force himself to relax, unused to the sudden filling.

Vegeta was being merciful. He could have just taken him there and then, damn it if he was prepared or not. But the Prince felt generous today, probably because he could afford the distraction. Because for once, he wanted to.

He pushed in further, ignoring the sounds of pained pleasure coming from the other’s throat as he twisted his hand and curled his fingers upward, searching for that same sweet spot. Goku’s thighs shook and fanned as Vegeta tormented him, the Prince continuing to lick and suck and bite here and there as he explored. Goku’s fingers tangled in Vegeta’s dark mane, urging as the younger Saiyan’s form suddenly bucked, surprised as Vegeta’s fingers caught onto something.  
The sudden movement had caused Kakarot’s cock to thrust down the entirety of his throat and he might have choked if he didn’t have a gag reflex there. Thankfully, Saiyans were built genetically to practically inhale their food, and there was little difference between that and what he was doing now.

“Stay, Kakarot.” Vegeta commanded again, his voice husky and a little ruined from his voice-box being punched. Goku jammed a hand into his own mouth and nodded a little frantically, trying to contain himself and the noises he was making. Vegeta resumed after a moment to gather his senses and hummed a vibration around Kakarot’s head as he took him in again, fingers massaging around the sensitive hidden gland but never directly touching it as a means of punishment for earlier.

He was being cruel, but he took joy in it; taking Kakarot apart like this. Vegeta pushed down, swallowing more of the other Saiyan’s musk into his mouth, tongue flattening as he hollowed his cheeks. Goku was practically praying by then, whispering his name over and over in forgiveness. The Prince found his ego swelling with the praise and rewarded Kakarot by pressing both fingers into the gland, rocking a thundershock of pleasure through the other’s system.

Goku whined loudly, raising into a scream as Vegeta suddenly dialled it up to a hundred and surged a small ki blast there. Nothing to do any real damage, but the energy had Goku’s whole body go taut, the ropes of his muscles tightening and straining as he battled to keep still. Sweat was dripping over every single inch of his body and so Vegeta did it again, this time lowering the intensity and setting it at a constant pulse.

“Fuck, Vegeta!” Kakarot cursed and Vegeta only pushed further, bobbing his head lower, sloppier, until he could feel his rival breach the back of his throat. He held him in that wet prison, suckling and swallowing, drawing the flavours out as his fingers pistoned, coursing energy through Goku's veins as intrusive as any drug, like saline.

Goku shuddered agonisingly and Vegeta could feel him swelling, twitching hard in warning. Despite all their stamina training, it still seemed that Kakarot was still weak to this attention, this personal touch only he could claim.

Vegeta withdrew his fingers and mouth both, watching as Goku caught his breath in desperate gulps. Climbing into the bed, Vegeta hoisted Kakarot's long muscular legs around him and nudged his way between his thighs. The rim was slightly red as he watched it twitch, and Goku shameless and tired, rose his hips to draw Vegeta in.

The Prince simply had to push his cockhead to the rim and snap his hips forward to bury himself, praising Goku silently by stroking his leaking cock. Vegeta tilted his hips a little as he thrust in, trying to find a better angle to abuse. It was slightly different to that of a woman: less slick, more hardiness and almost painful with how the tight ring consumed him. He liked it, just like he had enjoyed everything else he and Kakarot had shared and Vegeta breathed through the sensation, slipping his eyes closed as he leaned forward and bent Goku in with him, folding him in half as he held one of the younger male’s legs around his broad shoulders.

Kakarot made a strangled sound as his cock stabbed back against his chest, and Vegeta continued to advance, stopping only when their foreheads touched for the briefest of moments.  
The pace the Prince immediately set was not merciful in the slightest as he pulled his hips back, only to piledrive all the way back in again, again and again, over and over. He could feel Goku’s wind being thrust out of his body with every slam, lungs burning tight and hot.

Kakarot was slowly turning beet red as he was pulverised, sweating all over and clinging desperately onto the sheets of the bed that were barely made. Goku could have thrown him off if he wanted to. They both knew who was strongest here. But Kakarot remained pliant, willing despite how little oxygen was making its way to his already starved brain.

Vegeta was crushing the life out of him with the way he had him pinned, using his smaller size to force Goku to twist even further. The younger Saiyan’s knees were up near his head as Vegeta’s hips crushed into him, hot wet pounds echoing out from where their bodies met. It left Goku’s weeping cock disastrously close to his own mouth and the thought of making Kakarot choke on himself made the Prince unexpectedly chuckle.

“‘Geta...I...” Kakarot was gasping, the oxygen squeezed out of him. His whole face was turning red from the neck up, eyes glazed over and half-cast, unfocused. Vegeta wouldn’t grant him mercy and only slammed into him harder, the bed threatening to give out and break as it shuddered and creaked beneath them. The Prince was burying himself balls deep, flush against the other’s asshole as he deliberately tried to keep away from that lone sweet spot inside, wanting Goku to starve. To suffer as he had suffered countless of times.

He was steadily losing his own composure. He wasn’t playing this game to try outlast this time. Vegeta was going to sate every moment he was buried in that pretty, round ass. Sweat dripped down his back in rivlets as he moved, coating the back of his legs, making his thighs slick and awkward. Vegeta’s thrusts hardened still in determination, speeding up his movements as he tried to keep himself steady.

They both weren’t going to last much longer at this pace and so he decided to sweep the last dregs of air from Kakarot’s lungs as he bent the rest of the way until their mouths met in a fiery kiss, hushing the other Saiyan shut with a bullying tongue.

Goku was just holding on at this point, taking everything Vegeta gave, riding the waves out and barely keeping it together. Relenting, Vegeta arched his lower back and slammed into him at just the right angle, and a guttural groan followed from where their bodies sparked. Their link wasn’t fully open this time, allowing the Prince to entirely indulge as he felt the familiar pangs of heat beginning to curl up the column of his spine from the base of his tail-point. Goku’s ankles were digging into it, pushing him deeper as he grunt and felt his balls filling, ready to burst.

He suckled on Kakarot’s tongue as finally, his body gave in. He punished the other Saiyan’s prostate with a series of quick, brutal thrusts as Goku chased after him, his arms wrapping tight and nails dragging bloody streams down his back. There was hardly any strength left in either of them, Goku’s face taking on a sheen more close to purple than red as Kakarot’s walls came clamping down hard.

Goku’s ass seized like a vice as thick trails of white spurt all over Kakarot’s face and chin, landing cum all over its owner’s face. The Prince couldn’t hold himself back, a spectator in the show as Kakarot debased himself and grumbling a deep sound, the Prince found his own release, his cock pulsing and rocking hot streams of pleasure. He continued to move as he climaxed, his load shooting out and trailing down the crack of Kakarot’s ass as he came and came, seemingly emptying himself dry.

It just kept going and going and Vegeta stuttered slowly to a halt as he gasped, collapsing as the last waves died down and all that was left was bliss. Warm, endless bliss. It felt like he was floating there in some warm fluffy cloud, his vision calm and still and his mind for once, peaceful. It wasn’t until he felt a coolness brush against him did his attention snap back to reality, and he realized with impending horror that he had fallen asleep. While he was _still inside_.

Kakarot was snoring soundly, content and undisturbed as Vegeta pulled himself out, seemingly unaware of what was going on as he remained asleep with a lazy, lopsided grin on his face.

Disgusted in the mess he had left behind and mortified in breaking the first rule he had set out for them to adhere to, Vegeta immediately ran to the bathing chambers and started a bath, hurriedly jumping inside as he was too impatient to wait for the water level to climb. Picking up one of the washcloths, he began to scrub himself hard, working so fast he was quick to make himself raw, his skin turning red and pained.

His mind was racing as fast as his heart was beating but no matter how quick he cleaned or how much soap he used, he wasn’t feeling any cleaner. Vegeta’s hands twitched weakly as he dropped the bloody cloth into the bath and let his legs give out, sinking into the water like a stone.

  
What the hell was he allowing himself to get into?

He didn’t know. A part of him hated himself for allowing himself to foolishly slip up, but another part of him, a part he had denied for a long time wanted to. It wanted him to, because for whatever reason, he couldn’t bear to be apart from Kakarot for too long.

He was both sick of it and in love with it, knowing the high Kakarot could push him to and the way he could break him down. It only existed because of him and his stupid mercy. Kakarot should have just allowed the bald weakling to shove the sword through his heart and be done with it. Instead here he was, playing the same old game, hiding behind lies and yet he kept coming back for more. On and on the merry go round they went, round and round.

And he was afraid, truly afraid for the first time...because, he was certain, somewhere along the line, he had fallen off...


	7. Ties of Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Prince loses it and once more, Goku comes to the rescue.

They hadn’t talked all week. Or perhaps it was a fortnight. Days had passed since they last fucked, when Vegeta had let himself go and broke his own damn rule. The Prince had refused to open communication, busying himself with his own routine, much to Goku’s confusion. His rival accepted it at first, easily flexible and adjusted accordingly. They’d started off on separate ends of the chamber caught up in their own routines, but when time came for them to eat, Vegeta had remained stubborn and taken his food out into the cooler regions of the room where it wasn’t too cold to be bothersome but enough to stir his hair and prickle his skin in goosebumps.

Then shower time came and Vegeta skipped it entirely, leaving Goku to finally prod him now countless days later. The nudge came through their mental link, barely recognising the other intruding there since they’d become so accustomed to it, the bond so strong. “Did you want to train alone for the next few days or something?”

“Yes.” It wasn’t what he had planned, if he had planned anything at all. But Kakarot had suggested it and having time away to think to himself and just not... _need_ sounded just fine. So they spent the days apart, each doing away with their own routine and time schedule. Goku was a fan of sleeping and so Vegeta consciously worked his hours around when he knew his rival would be asleep and out cold.

It seemed fine for a while. They both could use the break and as close as they had both become, the two Saiyans were still stubborn in their own pursuits of power. They had agreed to train until the link strengthened - which they’d done. The power boost was there. They just needed to have it tuned and tapped into but the Prince’s mind slipped, diving into treacherous waters; making him think how much better it would be to do it alone.

He couldn’t do this without Kakarot but a part of him wanted to run away, leave everything they’d formed to decay and turn to dust. He didn’t need Kakarot to make himself a better warrior, or his challenge at having the Prince fight stronger, harder, faster. He didn’t need his company, or his stupid feelings get in the way of what once was a good hardy competition. He’d told Goku to sort it out, figure out where he wanted this to go. Goku said he wanted this but what even _was_ this?

Vegeta didn’t care. He hated it. He ignored that a part of him felt like he should have been asking those questions toward himself because whenever he let his mind slip or his focus to nudge somewhere unintentional, it always came back to that same infuriating thing; his want to have power come through Goku. Through...whatever the fuck they were doing. His soul had been shredded apart and sewed back together again and where there was once him there was now Kakarot. Invading his senses, his dreams, his fucking _life_.

He was getting sick of it all. He wasn’t used to emotions being this complicated. Whatever had stirred between him and Kakarot needed to be stopped. Goku psychically probed every now and then, sensing the other warrior needed space. But Goku was insightful and observing Vegeta being more distant than usual, decided to take a more hands on approach and talk to the Prince directly a few weeks later.

“Leave me alone, Kakarot. I have nothing to say to you.” Vegeta snapped without giving Goku time to even open up dialogue, cutting the other Saiyan off as he continued his half hearted meditation. “Did...I do something wrong?” Goku asked, scratching his head, puzzled. There was concern there, but Vegeta could also sense the other warriors hopelessness and insecurity. It made him scoff.

“Do something wrong? It’s your fault we’re in this predicament in the first place!” Vegeta roared in reply, opening his eyes to glare up at his orange-suited nemesis, subtle fangs poking out from where he grit his teeth in his jaw. “First you insist on the fusion, then you go and let your damn feelings contaminate my body, and now you’ve gone and ruined our arrangement with your incessant peddling for affection outside of training!”

Goku’s face drew a little dark as he frowned back down at him, the air of easiness he normally carried lifting away into something more primal. “What is that supposed to mean? You were the one that fell asleep on top of me and never said anything bad about when I did anything! And from what I recall you saying about what Whis said, you’re the one that made those rules in the first place! You think you’re the only one that hasn’t been changed from this arrangement!?”

Oh. Goku was pissed now. It seemed that the younger Saiyan had finally reached his limit when it concerned his patience in regards to Vegeta and clenching his fists, he moved upon the Prince whose eyes widened slightly as he tried to get to his feet. “At any point you could have said no. You could have just pushed me away! But no! You let me in and do all those things and now because you’re confused about your feelings, you’re deciding to take it out on me! Well, I’ve had enough with you constantly trying to have everything your way all the time, Vegeta!”

Vegeta felt a bit stunned by the other’s bluntness but pride demanded he remain self righteous. He came to stand, only to be shoved back as Goku unbalanced him with a chest punch. It wasn’t too brutal, enough to knock the wind out of him but not enough to throw up his food from his earlier meal. Vegeta clutched at himself as Kakarot neared closer and grabbed hold of his battlesuit, dragging him close.

The Prince focused on his breathing and a mocking laugh escaped half choked from where his diaphragm had collapsed. “My, so intelligent Kakarot. Where have you been harbouring this knowledge? You know nothing about my damn feelings, so drop it!” Goku sighed but his grip was serious, drawing Vegeta’s suit unpleasantly tight around his chest.

“I get it. You never had a chance. Frieza never let you explore anything else. You had no choice but to bottle up all your battles within. But I thought all this time you’ve been spending on Earth would teach you how to embrace them, not run away! They’re a strength, Vegeta!”

Strength? Vegeta rolled his eyes, letting his body sag in Kakarot’s grip, forcing him to put more effort into keeping him held up as a resortment of spite. “They’re not a strength,” The Prince hissed. “They’re a weakness. Look what it’s done to me! Look what it’s done to us! Look at what we’ve become because of them, Kakarot!”

“No!” Goku shook him, his face so close he could smell the musk and sweat and it tickled some stupid part of Vegeta’s brain that thought despite everything, this was exciting. “You’re letting it get the best of you. You’re afraid because this is something outside of your control. We...don’t need to be anything that we don’t want to be, Vegeta. Life isn’t about all controlling things...” Goku’s tone was softening and he let go, letting Vegeta catch himself before he hit the ground.

“Whatever is happening between us, it’s between us only. No one else has to know. It’s okay….it’s okay to feel like this. I know it’s confusing. I’m confused too...but you shouldn’t shut me out or push yourself away because you think punishing yourself is more important than facing the truth…”

Vegeta gripped the ground hard, watching as a long hard crack ran through the tiles as the pressure built up behind his fist. “It’s not okay, Kakarot. We’re both married. We both have children, families-”

“So what?” Goku interrupted. “We have those things because we made them, Vegeta. But that doesn’t mean things can’t change, that we can’t make new things. Look at us...look how much we’ve become better fighters, better friends. You used to hate me-” “I still hate you!” Vegeta snarled, yelling resolute. Goku’s expression showed however he didn't buy it and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, his tone lowering.

“No, you don’t...” Goku’s fingers flexed out of nervousness, wanting to scratch something. “I know you don’t... I saw inside you. You can’t keep lying to me and yourself, Vegeta.” “Just fuck off already!” Vegeta stood up, ready to punch, let loose his fury. “You know nothing! A Saiyan doesn’t love!”

“We don’t have to!” Goku argued back, his gaze desperate. “I know what you feel isn’t that. But you don’t need to hate me. You don’t need to be angry at yourself over this, or me! Just...let it go Vegeta. You can’t control this. We can’t control what’s happened...” The Prince found his resolve crumbling. He wanted to fight, so in his tantrum he swung out his fist but it was too wide, too careless. Kakarot dodged it effortlessly and it only angered Vegeta further, who screamed and threw out a flurry of blows, raging. Each blow Goku stepped aside, blocked, shifted slightly so the Prince’s fists went skimming past. He was livid, beyond so. At himself. At Kakarot. At everything. The damn universe itself. All of his pride undone in a matter of months.

How the hell could he admit to himself that? Goku caught Vegeta’s fists and clenching down, held him in place as Vegeta felt that urge again, his lungs stuttering as his breath struggled to claw its way out. He gasped, feeling tears prick the corner of his eyes as Goku just held him there, refusing to let him hide or run away or even fight back.  
“Damn it all!” Vegeta shouted, shutting his eyes, refusing to let Goku see but he knew. He knew the Prince was breaking. Goku’s grip remained determined as Vegeta felt the tears bellow out of him, trickling down his face out of pure frustration, rage and every other emotion that was long since due to come out.

Goku didn’t say anything about it. He simply relaxed his grip slowly, lowering Vegeta’s arms until eventually, Vegeta felt the other Saiyan press against him, embracing him in a warm hug that had the Prince’s knees almost buckle.

“I hate it. I hate it all,” Vegeta sobbed, trying to keep his voice level as he gripped at Kakarot’s gi, pawing at him. Goku let his chin rest on top of his dark flames of hair, hearing Kakarot’s pulse drum deep near his ears. “I know…” Kakarot replied softly, meaningfully. “I hate it, too...” The Prince sniffed. “..You do?” He felt Goku nodding against him, his chest pressing close enough for Vegeta to lean his cheek against. “I admit...I kinda miss the days where we could do things on our own...”

The admission from Kakarot made the Prince chuckle through the tears. He was selfish, so absorbed in his self pity and self interests he didn’t once think that maybe, Kakarot didn’t find this situation to be entirely appealing either. “It’s like Whis said, it’s permanent,” The Prince muttered into the warm firm muscles beneath him, letting himself indulge, be comforted for just this once. “We can’t change what’s happened. But if we focus our strength, perhaps we can change where it leads.”

He felt Goku lean slightly, trying to peer down at him but Vegeta refused, tugging Kakarot closer until they were flush against the other. The other’s height cocooned around him, lending him a bastion of strength to encompass his senses. Kakarot was right. They didn’t have to love. They didn’t have to follow the earthly traditions here. None of that applied when it worked on a level as deep as this that even the divines had no idea of the implications.

Maybe they didn’t need to change. Maybe everything they needed was here. This strange tug ‘o war of power between them - it had been the inspiration that led him climbing to Super Saiyan and beyond. They weren’t earthlings. Desire to them meant different things and as addictive power was, both him and Kakarot knew better. It might have been in their nature to gain more of it, but sharing bodies like this, sating themselves...it was uncharted waters.

“Kakarot…” Vegeta lifted his head finally, tilting himself to look up at Goku who still held onto him, his face full of gentle strength, reassuring. “Maybe you’re right. Being angry about something we can’t change is pointless. But... I don’t want you turning soft on me. We train as usual. We get this link sorted and strengthened before the tournament. No parts of that arrangement change.”

Kakarot nodded, a hand coming up to brush back the hair from Vegeta’s widow’s peak. Good. “You bet.” “Oh, and one more thing,” Vegeta added and dragging Goku down, he planted a kiss against his lips. A quick peck, no tongue, just the slight bite of teeth and steel of his resolve. It left Goku blinking, a shy smile tilting his boyish lips as the Prince added, truthfully. “Thankyou.”


	8. Ties to the Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta and Goku fight in the Tournament of Power, but has anything really changed after all?

The day of the tournament came, the sands of the hourglass emptied. Vegeta blew his and Goku’s way out of the chamber against Mr. Popo’s better wishes and after recruiting the tyrant lizard Frieza to assist in their universal plight, the team for Universe 7 was beamed up in a blinding stream of divine light.

It seemed like an eternity had passed since they were out of that place and yet, as they held hands, Goku and Vegeta felt renewed, locking eyes with one another as they traversed the distance of space and time to the null realm.

The tournament felt more like a glorified riot rather than a fight. Almost every competitor had Goku in their cross-hairs, and faced with odds neither of them had experienced before, the two Saiyans made sure to put their practiced bond to the test. Years of planning and tactics and fornicating had culminated in this. The tournament would be their trial - to see if anything would result from the whirlwind that had both swept them away.

Vegeta could feel Kakarot as they both fought on separate ends of the arena, his presence an ever-burning spark in his peripheral. He knew when the other was getting low on energy, and back and forth they aided each other. Not too much as to seem suspicious or draw attention to themselves, but enough to play off as natural; as two once-rivals having each other's back. Their tether, invisible but potent forged a link so strong that the Prince was able to send a small burst of energy through it, invigorating Goku when he sensed he needed it most. Kakarot, stubborn but dependable had done the same, and reacted when Vegeta found himself in a tight spot, unleashing a burning surge through their bond that allowed Vegeta to back his opponent into a corner and through the wall and off the arena’s ledge.

It was the closest they had come to admitting that Whis was right and the angel smirked observantly as they weaved and obliterated and struggled and exhausted themselves through the universes teams. Sometimes in groups, sometimes one by one. It was gruelling and outrageous. Even with the ability to send each other invisible, small margins of power, it wasn’t enough to stop the constant onslaught of angry, offended enemies. The tide was endless, and time seemed to pass by a thread at a time, working away at their stamina and resolve like termites plying through wood.

And then there was Jiren. Vegeta and Goku both shared the same thought; of the need to challenge his might and bring him low when it became obvious he was the largest threat on the field. He was undeniable, and even Toppo with the blessing of destruction held no coin to the grey’s seemingly limitless threshold. A part of Vegeta wanted to beat the alien on his own, prove to Kakarot that he had not been made soft with their newfound secret bond. It was his pride and stubbornness speaking, he knew that, but he also knew that through the reaches of their connection, Kakarot felt the same way he did.

They were still mortal despite all they had gone through, all they had made together. The time spent in the chamber had taught him as much about himself as it had about Goku. They were still imperfect even with being granted the power of the gods. Their mortal, specifically Saiyan desires for power taunted him and as much as he desired Kakarot, try as he might, Vegeta knew he could not run from himself.

Laughing at himself and feeling Goku’s mental encouragement, he launched at Jiren and quickly found himself outmatched. Even coming to terms with his own inner peace hadn’t helped as the grey pride trooper shrugged off his blows as if he were a gnat and almost knocked the Prince clean off the stage. Arrogance was what Jiren called it, and smirking cockily at being called out, Vegeta persisted. It did not sting as deep as he expected, finding Kakarot’s influence within him allowing the insult to sweep past him like wind and air.

He fought on, pouring his energy and intent and his will to survive. Jiren landed a blow against the Prince that stunned him, grievous and precise as he could feel the crack of his bones and the blood pouring out beneath the shell of his armor. Fuck, it hurt. Vegeta’s vision swam and blanked out slightly as he tried to keep himself together, barely sensing Kakarot’s energy as he felt it coming closer to him, the mental silhouette of the other guarding him on the edge of consciousness.

Kakarot...he remembered in that stalled moment all the time they had shared, the secrets they kept, the flesh they tempered like steel with frantic, breathless motion. For so long, they lived, trying to understand what it was meant to be one and whole and yet entirely separate beings again. They had tried, they truly had. But they weren’t the Gods. They were never built to endure such a bond. Their connection was never meant to be tainted by desires and whims, and it was those very same desires, the self-centred ones that made them want to keep as individuals on their own paths.

It was like Goku had said, none of them had really wanted this. They both hated it, and Saiyans were never really built to process emotionally. It’s what made Goku’s parents so strange, showing levels of empathy unheard. It’s what made Vegeta so uncomfortable when emotion began to sprout inside him like a weed, and it’s what had brought about this strange web they had tangled in that even with the explanation from the divine still made it unfathomable to grasp. They would assist one another, but their own Saiyan thirst for power still burned at the forefront of their minds. They were aliens, too, and while Kakarot might have felt like home to him, he couldn’t live there forever.

Brilliant royal blue rushed up from his hairline, darkening and strengthening the aura now exploding from his form. It burst open from the will of wanting strength on his own terms, from the peace that came from personal acceptance, from the calling of his own inner strength named Pride. Vegeta’s mind was always racing two steps ahead of him. He couldn’t obtain Ultra Instinct when he couldn't be at fullness with himself, he understood that now. It wasn’t meant for him.

Together, with Kakarot, the two Saiyans in mutual understanding attacked their foe. Their styles, so familiar and yet different, flowed like well-patterned lattice work. In and out they weaved from each other, coming back together again, pouring in where the other wasn’t, filling the spaces where the other’s limbs hadn’t yet occupied. Jiren blocked their attacks but it was obvious the two were deadly working together on their own terms. Together. Not on the terms of their damned bond, but as the warriors they were meant to be. Souls and minds linked, but strong and proudly as their own being.

“Remarkable,” Whis complemented, seemingly smitten with the display as the two made Jiren move out from the defensive, forced to instead be the offensive to try keep them at bay. Their complementary attacks drew in the crowd’s attention, watching on as the tapped out fighters for Universe 7 saw the payout for all the time the two had spent in the Room of Spirit and Time.

“Wow, I never thought I’d see Vegeta and Goku working together like that. That’s crazy!” Krillin barked in amazement and Piccolo watched on, arms folded as they pushed Jiren further and further into spending his vast reserves of energy. Strength is absolute, Jiren stated but the Prince scoffed, continuing his combined assault with Kakarot faithfully at his side. “I don’t need you lecturing me about strength!” He retaliated despite feeling his stamina wane, his muscles searing with the newfound power of his perfected form.

They were giving it everything they had but even then, it wasn’t enough. Jiren remained mostly unfazed as Goku pummelled blow after blow at him, Vegeta following after him. They struck over and over, launching out in synchronised movements, their energy flowing into one another like two rivers combining but at the same time, splitting off. Together, but separate.

An emotionless bastard like Jiren could never understand what it was like to fight to protect something and it was this bond of trust and independence that forced Jiren to open more of himself to them. The two Saiyans were tiring out but it was then that Frieza and Android 17 joined the fray, working alongside in tandem. In their element, the four fighters descended upon the last opponent standing between them and victory, dominating and overwhelming him not through force but sheer determination and will.

Jiren might have power but for how long could he stand against the forging of complete trust? The assault continued, with Jiren getting more frustrated and forced to use more of his reserves in order to keep himself sustained. The four coordinated well, with Goku and Vegeta at the foreground, completing each other in the way their assault just never seemed to cease. Frieza was knocked out clean from the arena after a flurry of blurred movements that barely registered as attacks surged past them, their bodies all battered and bruised and pulsing in pain as bones shattered and muscles quaked.

Goku had chosen to stay by Vegeta, but the idiot always loved one-upping the Prince as a means of keeping themselves both challenged. Shifting up to Autonomous Ultra Instinct, Vegeta could only let his teeth grind hard in his jaw as Goku moved in on Jiren and, in a state of seeming constant awareness, dodged every perfect blow by the grey.

“Well done,” Jiren congratulated in a monotonous voice, and filled with instilled self-preservation and vigor, channelled every limitless reach of his power into himself. The alien’s muscles bulged as the three remaining fighters were assailed in obliterating attacks, Vegeta’s lungs collapsing and forcing saliva up his nose as Jiren’s fists landed true. Kakarot dodged where he could but it was obvious, this glittering white form of his wouldn’t last forever. Like everything else they did, it had a toll and so Goku bought time, using his ability to skip past Jiren’s assault and keep him on the back-foot without really gaining further ground.

They were slowly pushing the grey to the furthest reaches of the arena, but the alien was untiring, unwavering. His stamina was unlike either Saiyan had encountered and even with their full blown assaults and continuously flowing attacks, it wasn’t enough to win. Curse it all! Maybe if he had just done what he wanted, given into his selfishness and taken glory for himself, maybe it would have changed it after all.

In an act of rebelliousness and reluctance to truly accept the cards that fate had handed to him, Vegeta launched out, his dark blue hair and irises burning as he plummeted toward Jiren and took the frontal assault away from Goku. He could barely surpass the regret he felt when he saw the hurt on the other Saiyan’s face, but he had the feeling Goku would forgive him sooner rather than have their whole universe blown to pieces.

Taking the lead, Jiren was surprised to find the Prince fighting him alone, with Android 17 keeping the alien from regaining ground by offering suppression fire as ki blasts. Vegeta's whole body sung with pain as he tried to keep up, unleashing his rage and frustration upon the alien, armor and clothing broken and falling to pieces, body slowly wearing out. His pride pushed him on, his greatest quarrel and his greatest strength, forcing him to urge through the pain as he could feel his shattered bones threaten to pierce flesh.

He wasn’t sure for how long he continued to lash out, only to be knocked back, spiralling through the air uncontrolled. The Prince lost count of the amount of broken teeth in his jaw that felt like shards against his tongue, and couldn't hear the furious roar of Goku as his consciousness began to fade. He almost wanted to laugh. Of course he couldn’t do this on his own. None of them could. But they couldn’t do it together either, or at least in the way Whis wanted them to.

Vegeta's last memories as he fell to unconsciousness were that of his family, his wife whom he still adored in his own platonic way, his newborn daughter and felt shame and frustration bubble like tears pricking at the corners of his mind. He’d just thrown this whole damn fight in his own pursuit to prove himself and everything else wrong. To show up that he didn’t need Kakarot at his damn side like fate was demanding him to. Damn the Gods. Damn the prophecies. Damn Whis for telling him the truth.

As everything became black, his last threads of energy were directed toward Kakarot. He had ruined everything they had worked towards, everything they had gained for one famed moment of stubbornness. The universes and everything in them was now at risk because of his brash, imperfect mortal self. “I leave this to you…” He promised solemnly through their shared link which vibrated deep the further he sunk, and saw the shining star of Goku fading away as he poured the last of his strength as one final gift. It left him in a flare of ki, watching as his life energy sped away, barely clinging onto life as Goku’s burning form consumed it and turned into a supernova somewhere in the corners of his mind.

When he came to, it was to the force feeding of a senzu being shoved down his throat and the looming light of the cosmic dragon who had come to grant its summoned wish. His whole vision swam and wobbled as he focused on getting the bean down, and once it hit his stomach, energy flourished through and sent his body back from the brink. Goku stood before the dragon along with Android 17 and Vegeta watched on, feeling his spirit lighten and his heart burn in relief as an involuntary smile pulled from his lips. They had survived. Against their odds, against their own foil, Universe 7 had prevailed.

With the universes restored, and with a much needed sense of consolidation, the fighters and their respective Gods headed back to their homes. They returned to a glorious scene, one that had put all of Bulma’s former fabled celebrations to shame as tables upon tables seemingly piled with food from cuisines from all across the globe had been laid out in preparation for the end. Or as of now, to new beginnings.

The tables were so full that dishes were practically falling off, with private cooking stations set around the gardens, inviting free tastes and fresh orders of hot and cool food to go. There were streamers and flags planted around, fluttering in the sunset breeze with firework cannons being propped out around the pool, the waters filled with inflatables that the children were all eager to play in.

It was a magical scene, one filled with cheer and camaraderie as Vegeta found himself not having the energy to really care if he caught Goku staring at him as he allowed Bulma to pull him into an embrace. The other Saiyan had done it yet again. He had saved the world, and more, and although the Prince felt bitter about being defeated by his own self, he could sense through their tether of Goku’s ready acceptance. ‘Don’t apologise,’ it said, or more like, felt, and Vegeta sighed through his nose, letting his walls down enough to allow the younger warrior to feel his wordless gratitude at his ability to simply accept the way things were.

The afternoon carried on with the warriors and participants and their families stuffing themselves, the sun setting lower below the horizon and painting the sky in hues of pinks, oranges and purples. The children of their strange little community ran around, playing and laughing to themselves raucously as Vegeta, after spending enough time rekindling with the chosen few he trusted, decided to take time to watch and contemplate the darkening sky.

He wasn’t left alone for long, and while he preferred to be away from the main crowd, he couldn’t turn away as Kakarot came to stand beside him, arm filled with a bowl piled high in what seemed to be pulled pork sitting atop rice. Goku didn’t say anything, simply stuffing his mouth as he and Vegeta both shared a knowing look. They didn’t need to speak openly where the others heard, or could suspect things. Besides, Goku had come to enjoy the quiet nature of his Prince, and the two stood there in silence, watching over the sky, over their families in subtle company.

“I guess we could never really work together, huh?” Goku’s consciousness questioned him and Vegeta closed his eyelids, allowing the image of the orange warrior and his golden energy to appear next to his blue, calmer waters; faint links of the elements mixing together in their own invisible world away from the world. “No, Kakarot. We’re both too proud to keep to that charade forever.” Vegeta muttered in reply without any venom, a smirk evident in his tone. Goku smiled simply and allowed his conscious fingers to reach out to him, Vegeta feeling the phantom sensation crawl over his gloves as if Goku was really doing it in the flesh.

“I did miss it though. Being able to work on our own. Do things without needing the other to fill the rest of us in...” He peered open one eye to find Goku still chewing, but the look in his eye had darkened slightly, troubled as it focused on the sleeping sun. Vegeta responded softly, using his real voice instead of his mental one.   
  
“We still can. Fate, destiny...the Gods...they don’t decide what becomes of us, Kakarot. What we choose to do, regardless of what happens to us, whatever becomes of this world, it is our doing alone that decides what we are and who we become next..”

Goku swallowed and looked toward him and the conflict that was burning there settled, his expression lifting in admiration and something else neither Saiyan had words for. “Vegeta…” The Prince huffed an annoyed noise and closed his eyes, turning away to feign lack of interest for the sake of their public image. “For what it’s worth, Kakarot... I’m glad I have you with me. As much as I hate to admit it, I am proud of you. You’ve truly become a remarkable warrior...”

He could feel a slight tremor from the other and although it seemed to take every essence of control to keep Goku from throwing himself at the Prince, the taller Saiyan stayed. It impressed Vegeta to see self-control in the normally shameless man and with a small smirk, Vegeta whispered silently through their bond, his tone low and unusually seductive. “We might be more comfortable doing things on our own...but don’t forget, Kakarot. Only I can sate your full power. And you, mine.”

The possessive note in his own voice surprised him, and if the slight flush in Goku’s cheeks meant anything, it seemed the intended effect he was aiming for had been successful. Sensing no one was watching them, the normally off-standish Prince reached out and in a flash of movement too quick to see with the normal human eye, caressed his lips under Goku’s jaw, tracing across the soft spot he knew made Kakarot’s knees weak as his hand ghosted over the shape of the other's crotch, squeezing down. As quick as Vegeta had marked him, he was gone, walking off with his arms folded and his eyes closed as if he hadn’t just defiled Goku in front of all their mutual connections.

“Hey!~” Goku called out, or more like complained through their link as Vegeta walked off, silently patting himself on the back for the sneak attack Bulma had taught him many years ago. “You can’t just leave me here like this!” He knew Kakarot had grown hard just from the attack alone and with a snickering sound he disguised as coughing, Vegeta increased his pace, feeling Goku’s energy zoom in on him as he gave chase.

No one watching them would have thought twice about what the Saiyans were doing, shrugging it off as one of their many arguments and disagreements as they ran through the gardens like two children bickering. Whis on the other hand, feeling initially disappointed at the turnout of events at the Tournament of Power watched on knowingly, a small smile peaking his purple lips as he sipped on a martini from beneath one of the lawn umbrellas. “Oh my, those two will never really learn, will they?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it, folks. The end of this little story I wanted to share with you all. I might do some artwork of it, but this is the finish line. I really hope you enjoyed this little journey of self-discovery and smut these two Saiyans went on. Funny how destiny plays out, finding that for all their changes, things hadn't really resulted in anything different from the canon ending. If you liked this story, please let me know. If you want to see more, let me know as well. I might do more as time goes by, we'll see as it comes. But for now, thankyou for reading and thankyou all for the support. It been great. ;)


	9. Cover Art

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, here is the cover art I promised. Drawing a soul bond is hard and kept the themes of water / fire that were in the story as well as try project 'that space' they were able to tap int. Text is even harder to do, handwriting is awful lol. Anyway, this is as far as this fic will go. Thankyou to all who support me and gave this fic comments / kudos. :)


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